Catholicism - a brief overview.

For the first 1,500 years of Christianity there was no "Catholicism" as it is known it today, simply because there were no other forms of Christianity to distinguish it. There was only the "one, holy, catholic church" ("catholic" means "universal"), which was the body of Christian believers all over the western world, united by common traditions, beliefs, church structure and worship. Before the Reformation (in the 1500s), if you were a Christian, you belonged to the Catholic Church. Any other form of Christianity was considered a heresy, not a Christian denomination.

Today, there are many popular forms of Christianity besides Roman Catholicism. Although the Catholic Church continues to teach that it alone has carried on the true tradition of the apostolic church, the Second Vatican Council declared all baptized Christians to be "in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church." [1] So to be a Catholic today means to be a certain kind of Christian: one with beliefs, practices and traditions that differ from those of Protestantism, Anglicanism, Greek Orthodox, and other branches of modern Christianity.

Roman Catholicism is by far the largest Christian group. With more than one billion adherents, Catholics constitute about half of the world's Christians. [2] Catholicism is the majority religion of Italy, Spain, and nearly all Latin American countries. In 2001, about 24 percent of Americans identified themselves as Catholic, making Catholicism the largest Christian denomination in America (if the Protestant denominations are counted individually). The next largest denomination, Baptists, was claimed by 16 percent of Americans. Yet if Protestants are considered as one group, Catholics remain a minority among America's Christians.

Distinctive Roman Catholic beliefs include the special authority of the pope, the ability of saints to intercede on behalf of believers, the concept of purgatory as a place of afterlife purification before entering heaven, and the doctrine of transubstantiation - that is, that the bread used in the Eucharist becomes the true body of Christ when blessed by a priest.

Generally, Catholic worship tends to be more formal and ritualized than its Protestant counterparts. Services follow a prescribed liturgy and priests wear more elaborate vestments than most Protestant ministers. Catholics usually celebrate the Eucharist (which they call Mass) more often than do Protestants, usually weekly.

Catholics observe seven sacraments: religious rituals believed to be commanded by God and effective in conferring grace on the believer. Other distinctive Catholic practices include veneration of saints, use of the crucifix, and the use of rosary beads in prayer.

Unlike their counterparts in both Protestant and Orthodox churches, Catholic priests take vows of celibacy. This practice is rooted in the papacy's early connections with monasticism. There are several Catholic monastic orders, the most well known being the Jesuits, Dominicans, Fransciscans, and Augustinians. Catholic monks and nuns take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and devote themselves to a simple life focused on worshipping God.

Roman Catholicism traces its history to the apostles, especially the Apostle Peter. St. Peter is considered the first pope, and every pope since him is regarded as his spiritual successor. This gives the leader of the church spiritual authority and provides a means for resolving disputes that could divide the church. Through trials like persecution, heresy, and the Reformation, the notion that the church leadership represents the continuation of an unbroken line from the apostles and their teachings ("apostolic succession") has contributed to the survival of Christianity.

However, it was not until several centuries after Christ that the church began to develop into the "Roman Catholic Church" as we think of it today, with its particular doctrines, practices, and hierarchical system of authority. From the Catholic perspective, the early church is faithfully continued in the developments of later centuries, while non-Catholics tend to regard the church as having corrupted the original message of Christianity.

The Roman bishop Leo I (440-461) is considered the first pope by historians, as he was the first to claim ultimate authority over all of Christendom. In his writings one can find all the traditional arguments for papal authority, most notably that which asserts Christ had designated Peter and his successors the "rock" on which the church would be built.

Roman Catholic beliefs do not differ drastically from those of the other major branches of Christianity, Greek Orthodoxy and Protestantism. All three main branches hold to the doctrine of the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus Christ, the inspiration of the Bible, and so on.

But on other doctrinal points, there are clear Catholic distinctives in belief. Distinctive Roman Catholic beliefs include the special authority of the pope, the ability of saints to intercede on behalf of believers, the concept of purgatory, and the doctrine of transubstantiation - that is, that the bread used in the Eucharist becomes the true body of Christ when blessed by a priest.

Apocrypha in Catholicism

The early Christians, most of whom spoke Greek, used the Septuagint, which included the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha continued in common use among Christians until the Reformation, when the Hebrew canon was chosen as the Protestant Old Testament. This means Protestants do not accept the Apocrypha.

Catholic and Orthodox Churches continue to use the Septuagint. The Catholic Church officially declared the Apocrypha canonical at both the Council of Trent (1546) and the First Vatican Council (1869-70).

The main theological significance of the Apocrypha is the Books of the Maccabees' support for prayer for the dead, a practice which Protestants reject.

Evolution in Catholicism

Although the theory of evolution was first articulated in the 1850's, the Roman Catholic Church didn't address the issue formally until the 1950's.

When the Catholic Church eventually spoke on the issue, specifically Pope Pius XII in 1950, he stated that there was no conflict between evolution and Christian faith.

The official catechisms of the Catholic Church (revised 1997) state:

159 Faith and science: "... methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are." (Vatican II GS 36:1)

160 The question about the origins of the world and of man has been the object of many scientific studies which have splendidly enriched our knowledge of the age and dimensions of the cosmos, the development of life-forms and the appearance of man. These discoveries invite us to even greater admiration for the greatness of the Creator, prompting us to give him thanks for all his works and for the understanding and

161 wisdom he gives to scholars and researchers....
The great interest accorded to these studies is strongly stimulated by a question of another order, which goes beyond the proper domain of the natural sciences. It is not only a question of knowing when and how the universe arose physically, or when man appeared, but rather of discovering the meaning of such an origin....

Pope John Paul II said in a 1996 address:

"In his encyclical Humani Generis (1950), my predecessor Pius XII has already affirmed that there is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine of the faith regarding man and his vocation, provided that we do not lose sight of certain fixed points.... Today, more than a half-century after the appearance of that encyclical, some new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than a hypothesis. In fact it is remarkable that this theory has had progressively greater influence on the spirit of researchers, following a series of discoveries in different scholarly disciplines. The convergence in the results of these independent studies—which was neither planned nor sought—constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor of the theory."

Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) said in 2008:

“The theory of evolution does not invalidate the faith, nor does it corroborate it. But it does challenge the faith to understand itself more profoundly and thus to help man to understand himself and to become increasingly what he is: the being who is supposed to say Thou to God in eternity.”

Reaction

The Catholic Church's position on creation and evolution pleased some and upset others. Some of the devout, who desired that the Church align itself with current scientific consensus, welcomed the position, seeing it as progressive and modern. Other believers expressed disappointment because they thought the Church was falling away from a literal interpretation of the Bible, especially in regards to the book of Genesis.