Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.39 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2022. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. The church consists of 24 ''sui iuris'' churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies located around the world. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church. The Diocese of Rome, known as the Holy See, is the central governing authority of the church. The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia, has its principal offices in Vatican City, a small independent city-state and enclave within the Italian capital city of Rome, of which the pope is head of state.The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles, and that the pope is the successor to Saint Peter, upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ. It maintains that it practises the original Christian faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faith infallibly through scripture and sacred tradition as authentically interpreted through the magisterium of the church. The Roman Rite and others of the Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic liturgies, and institutes such as mendicant orders, enclosed monastic orders and third orders reflect a variety of theological and spiritual emphases in the church.
Of its seven sacraments, the Eucharist is the principal one, celebrated liturgically in the Mass. The church teaches that through consecration by a priest, the sacrificial bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The Virgin Mary is venerated as the Perpetual Virgin, Mother of God, and Queen of Heaven; she is honoured in dogmas and devotions.|}} Catholic social teaching emphasizes voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Catholic Church operates tens of thousands of Catholic schools, universities and colleges, hospitals, and orphanages around the world, and is the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world. Among its other social services are numerous charitable and humanitarian organizations.
The Catholic Church has profoundly influenced Western philosophy, culture, art, literature, music, law, and science. Catholics live all over the world through missions, immigration, diaspora, and conversions. Since the 20th century, the majority have resided in the Southern Hemisphere, partially due to secularization in Europe and increased persecution in the Middle East. The Catholic Church shared communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church until the East–West Schism in 1054, disputing particularly the authority of the pope. Before the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, the Church of the East also shared in this communion, as did the Oriental Orthodox Churches before the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451; all separated primarily over differences in Christology. The Eastern Catholic Churches, who have a combined membership of approximately 18 million, represent a body of Eastern Christians who returned or remained in communion with the pope during or following these schisms for a variety of historical circumstances. In the 16th century, the Reformation led to the formation of separate, Protestant groups. From the late 20th century, the Catholic Church has been criticized for its teachings on sexuality, its doctrine against ordaining women, and its handling of sexual abuse cases involving clergy.
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670by Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Bloomington, Ill.)Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1904
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671by Catholic Church. Congregatio de Disciplina Sacramentorum.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1910
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672by Catholic Church. Congregatio de Disciplina Sacramentorum.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1910
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673by Catholic Church. Diocese of Harrisburg (Pa.). SynodLocation: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1911
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674by Catholic Church. Archdiocese of St. Paul (Minn)Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1921
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675by Catholic Church. Diocese of Altoona (Pa.). SynodLocation: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1923
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676Pastoral Letter of the Catholic Episcopate of the United States on the Religious Situation in Mexicoby Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1926
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677by Catholic Church. Diocese of St. Augustine (Fla.)Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1933
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678by Catholic Church. United States Catholic Conference.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1967
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679by Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1968
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680by Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1968
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681by Catholic Church, Diocese of Fort Wayne (Ind.)Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1918
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682by Catholic Church. Diocese of Rochester (N.Y.)Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1864
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683by Catholic Church. Congregatio de Disciplina Sacramentorum.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1910
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684by Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Baltimore (Md.). SynodLocation: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1863
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685by Catholic Church. Diocese of Fort Wayne (Ind.).Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1880
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686by Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Saint Louis (Mo.).Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1886
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687by Catholic Church. Diocese of Rochester (N.Y.)Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1887
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688by Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Saint Louis (Mo.).Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1888
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689by Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Saint Louis (Mo.).Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1889
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690by Catholic Church. Congregatio de Propaganda Fide.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1850?
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691Behold your mother, woman of faith; a pastoral letter on the Blessed Virgin Mary, November 21, 1973.by Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1973
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692by Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1998
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693by Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1999
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694by Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic BishopsLocation: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1968
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695by Catholic Church. Congregatio pro Cultu DivinoLocation: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1970
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696by Catholic Church. Congregatio pro Doctrina FideiLocation: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1976
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697by Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1926
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698by Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1983
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699by Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1973
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700by Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops.Location: PAHRC Library, Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (PAHRC)
Created 1977
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