Roman Catholicism

The church of Santa Maria di Loretto, in Rome, Italy. The city is famous for its history as the heart of the ancient Roman Empire, and for being the location of the Vatican City, the centre of the Roman Catholic Church.

St Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican City, Rome, Italy. This is the cathedral church of the Vatican City State. Above the baroque façade of the building are statues representing Jesus, St John the Baptist, and the Apostles (excluding St Peter, who is represented by a bronze statue in the nave, inside the building).

The Piazza San Pietro (St Peter's Square), in the Vatican City State. The square is enclosed by Gianlorenzo Bernini's 17th-century elliptical colonnade. St Peter's Basilica, the cathedral itself, is the main Roman Catholic church in this clerical state, and took more than a century to build.

Church interior, Puebla, central Mexico. Although the Republic of Mexico has no official national religion, 95% of Mexicans are Roman Catholic. Located in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city of Puebla, capital of Puebla state, was founded by the Spanish in 1532. Most of the city's architecture, including the Cathedral of Puebla and the church of Santo Domingo, is characteristically Spanish.

Notre Dame Basilica, Montreal, Québec, Canada. When it opened in 1829, the Roman Catholic parish church of Notre Dame was the largest church building in North America. Built by the Sulpicians, the church was designed by New York architect James O'Donnell. Its blue and gold interior of polychrome, stained glass, and painted wood was redecorated in the 1870s by the Québec architect Victor Bourgeau, and the high altar was carved by French sculptor Henry Bouriche.

Catholic church, Dareda, Tanzania. The three main religious groups on the mainland of Tanzania are Christian (45%), Muslim (35%), and those holding indigenous beliefs (20%); on the island of Zanzibar, more than 99% of the population is Muslim.

Ornate Renaissance-style church entrance in Copan, Honduras. Statues of various Catholic saints occupy the alcoves.

A papal mass held at the Vatican, Rome. The mass is given by the Pope before a large congregation in the sumptuous interior of St Peter's Cathedral.

One of the main divisions of the Christian religion, separate from the Eastern Orthodox Church from 1054. It is headed by the pope, who traces his authority back through St Peter (the first bishop of Rome) to Jesus, through apostolic succession. Its headquarters are in the Vatican City State, in Rome. Membership is concentrated in southern Europe, Latin America, and the Philippines. In 2000 Rome reported the number of baptized Roman Catholics to be 1.045 billion, more than half the Christians in the world. The present pope is Benedict XVI, from 2005.

Reformation and Counter-Reformation

The Protestant churches separated from the Catholic church with the Reformation in the 16th century. In Germany, Switzerland, and other European countries, this came about as a result of fundamental divisions on matters of church doctrine and practice. However, in England, the Reformation was sparked primarily by disagreement over questions of royal marriage and succession. The Tudor monarch Henry VIII – once a staunch ‘defender of the faith’, who had written a pamphlet attacking the German Protestant reformer Martin Luther – established a separate Anglican Church with its own doctrine and liturgy after the pope had refused to sanction his divorce of Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn.

In response to the Reformation, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Catholic Church undertook the campaign of education and coercion known as the Counter-Reformation. An attempt to update Catholic doctrines was condemned by Pope Pius X in 1907, and later moves towards reform were rejected by Pope John Paul II.

Doctrine and worship

The focus of liturgical life is the Mass, or Eucharist, and attendance is obligatory on Sundays and Feasts of Obligation such as Christmas and Easter. Inside the church is a formal setting, with the high altar (a table representing that of the Last Supper) as the focal point. Since the Second Vatican Council (1962–66), called by Pope John XXIII, the liturgy has been conducted in the vernacular or everyday language instead of Latin.

The Roman Catholic Church differs from the other Christian churches in that it acknowledges the supreme jurisdiction of the pope, and papal infallibility when he speaks ex cathedra (‘from the throne’). The pope usually speaks in the name of the church on questions of faith and morals, and his declarations are infallible (without error). In 1854 the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, was declared official doctrine; this states that she was conceived without the original sin with which all other human beings are born. The Virgin Mary is accorded a special place in the Roman Catholic Church. Declarations on moral issues include condemnation of artificial forms of contraception and abortion (see Christian ethics). Roman Catholics hold that the authority of the church has safeguarded God's teachings.

Organization

The Second Vatican Council was called by Pope John XXIII to bring the church up to date and make it more aware of 20th-century issues. Roman Catholic clerics attended from all over the world. Since the meeting of the Council, major changes have taken place, resulting in increased freedom among the religious and lay orders. The pope has an episcopal synod of 200 bishops elected by local hierarchies to collaborate in the government of the church. The priesthood is celibate and there is a strong emphasis on the monastic orders. Great importance is also attached to the mission of spreading the faith. Under John Paul II 1978–2005, power became more centralized, and bishops and cardinals were chosen from the more traditionally minded clerics and from the developing world.

Attitude to other religions

The Second Vatican Council marked a more tolerant attitude to other world religions. Changes included the condemnation of religious persecutions. Pope John XXIII set up a committee to look at the relationship between the Roman Catholic and other Christian churches, and his work in the ecumenical movement continued after his death. Representatives have also attended meetings of the World Council of Churches as observers.

In November 2001, the US National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) elected Bishop Wilton Gregory as their president, the first African American to hold the position. Bishop Gregory formerly headed a diocese in Belleville, Illinois, and is known for his informal style. The NCCB chose William Skylstad of Spokane, Washington, as their new vice president.

Political policy
Politically, the policy of the Roman Catholic Church has been to establish working relationships with national governments, both Catholic and non-Catholic, occasionally making use of concordats to achieve this end. The Holy See maintains official representatives of varying rank in most European countries, as well as in many non-European states (papal representatives abroad being known as nuncios or legates), while most of these states have accredited representatives at the Vatican. The political prestige of the Holy See was enhanced by the Lateran Treaty of 1929 with the Italian government, under which the Vatican City was recognized as a sovereign state.