Canada and the World
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Last update
05 May 2011
Christianity Part Three
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
St. Peter, an apostle (messenger, envoy) of Jesus Christ, was the first Bishop of Rome from 42 to 67 CE. In medieval Latin, the word papa (father) was used to describe all bishops. From this comes the title pope, which is only one of the many titles the head of the Roman Catholic Church holds. Others include Vicar of Christ, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Sovereign of State of the Vatican City, and Servant of the Servants of God.
When Roman Catholic Cardinals gather to find a new pope, they actually elect him to the job of Bishop of Rome. So, the title Bishop of Rome is the basis of all others, and Roman Catholics believe that the pope is the successor of St. Peter who was chosen by Jesus to head his church.
Catholic Church of England and Wales
Pope Benedict XVI was elected to lead the Roman Catholic Church in 2005.
The Roman Catholic Church believes this unbroken succession from St. Peter confers on it the right to be the only inheritor of the powers conferred on the 12 apostles by Jesus Christ. According to Christian belief, Jesus selected the 12 apostles, one of whom was St. Peter, to preach his gospel and to act in his name.
By the 5th century, under Pope St. Leo I, the papacy had become a very powerful institution. Popes considered themselves to hold powers over the entire church, but this view was often rejected in the Eastern Church.
Over the next few centuries, Roman Catholicism expanded rapidly into Northern and Western Europe under papal leadership.
At the centre of Roman Catholic worship is the ceremony of Mass. The faithful are expected to attend Mass every Sunday and also on several major feasts during the year.
With the Catholic Mass, Holy Communion is celebrated as a memorial of Christ’s death
and resurrection. Roman Catholics believe in the actual presence of Christ during
Holy Communion through the change of the bread and wine into his body and blood.
This change is called transubstantiation.
Roman Catholics also attach special significance to Baptism as the entry into Christian life. Holy Communion and Baptism are the first two sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.
The others are the forgiveness of sins in reconciliation with the church (confession),
ordination to ministry (holy orders), marriage of Christians, post-
Tradition plays an important role. Roman Catholic teaching is based on the New Testament but also on the study and conclusions of religious scholars. So, Catholics believe certain things for which there is no biblical reference, but for which there may be a long tradition of practice within the Church.
Two of the most important of these traditional beliefs are the Immaculate Conception
of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her bodily Assumption.
In December 1854, Pope Pius IX declared that Mary was a virgin even though she was the mother of Jesus. The Pope said that this truth was revealed by God and hence was to be firmly believed by all Catholics. As further testimony to Mary’s holiness, Roman Catholics believe that upon her death both her body and soul were taken to Heaven. This is called The Assumption and was declared to be church dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950.
Because of her holy nature, special importance is accorded the Virgin Mary, as well as many saints within the Roman Catholic Church. (Eastern Orthodox and Protestant Churches do not attach the same importance to these figures.)
Image credit
Clarita
Return to Christianity Part Two
Sources used in this series
Religions in Canada, Directorate of Human Rights and Diversity, Government of Canada.
The Encyclopedia of World Religions, Robert S. Ellwood (ed.) Facts on File, 1998.
Religion for Dummies, Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman, For Dummies Publishing, 2002.
Religious Tolerance, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Religion, CBC Montreal
© Canada and the World, March 2011
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NEVER WRONG
Many Christians believe that the church cannot be mistaken in its teaching of revealed truth because it is aided by the Holy Spirit. This is the doctrine of infallibility. Some Christians accept as infallible those doctrines universally taught and believed from ancient times.
Roman Catholics believe that the pope can make infallible definitions on faith or morals when he speaks as head of the church and when he has the clear intention of binding the whole church to accept as dogma whatever he is defining.
Papal infallibility was formally defined at the First Vatican Council (1870). The
doctrine was reaffirmed at the Second Vatican Council (1962-
The concept of papal infallibility is often misunderstood, especially by non-
COUNTRIES WITH HIGHEST PROPORTION OF CATHOLICS
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Roman Catholicism is the largest religion in Canada measured by the number of followers.
According to the 2006 Census, 13.8 million Canadian self-
According to the Central Intelligence Agency Factbook, there are just over one billion Roman Catholics in the world, representing 16.7% of the total population.
Dogma is defined as a belief or set of beliefs held by an authority or group, which others are expected to accept without argument.
ICONS
Before the word “icon” came to mean an image on a computer screen used for commands it was used to describe an image of a very different kind.
In Christianity, icons are images or paintings of Jesus.
In Orthodox belief, the icons themselves have become deeply revered. It is believed that the icon is a window through which the viewer can catch a glimpse of the divine during times of prayer and contemplation.