Roman Catholicism - An Introduction
Catholic means "universal," and "Roman
Catholic" refers to the Latin western church. Since the
sixteenth century, "Roman Catholic" has meant the Christian
religious body that acknowledges the pope as head of the universal Church
and the center of ecclesiastical unity. Papal authority is based on the
doctrine of apostolic succession, which holds that the authority of the
Church was given to the apostle Peter, the first bishop of Rome, by Jesus
Christ, and this authority has been passed down through successive bishops
of Rome to the current pope. The first Vatican Council, held in 1870,
declared that the pope has primacy of jurisdiction over the whole Church
and that under specific conditions he is infallible in proclaiming doctrines
of faith and morals. In 1964, Vatican Council II further explained infallibility
and set it in the context of the Church and the college of bishops.
After the emperor Constantine granted freedom of religion to Christians with the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313, the entire Roman Empire was converted to Christianity. Thus most of the Mediterranean and much of Europe became Christianized. From the fourth century on, the Church was identified with the Roman Empire. But as the fortunes of Rome declined, the power of the empire shifted eastward to Constantinople, which resulted in a split between the Eastern and Western churches in 1054. The Middle Ages were the classic period of Roman Catholicism. Numerous majestic cathedrals were constructed throughout Europe to glorify God, and religious orders such as the Franciscans and Dominicans were formed.
In the eleventh century a philosophical system known as scholasticism was introduced
into the Church. Scholastics attempted to synthesize traditional faith
and values with the logic and reason of the Greek philosopher, Aristotle.
The theologian Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) was particularly influential in
reconciling faith and reason, and his ideas dominated Catholic thought
for seven centuries. As explorers from Europe discovered foreign lands
and developed trade, missionaries were brought to convert the pagan people
to the universal religion. Today Christianity is the largest religion
in the world, and the Roman Catholic church is the largest branch of Christianity,
with representation around the world, particularly in Southern Europe
and Latin America.
|
