Portal:Catholic Church

Catholic Church Portal Main page   Pontifex Maximus   The town and the world Introduction The Catholic Church (Latin: Ecclesia Catholica), also called the Roman Catholic Church (Latin: Ecclesia Catholica Romana), is the largest Christian church, with an estimated 1.28 to 1.41 billion baptized members worldwide as of 2026. It consists of 24 autonomous (sui iuris) churches. The largest one of these churches is the Latin Church. Besides it, there are 23 smaller Eastern Catholic Churches. Together, the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic churches are organized into nearly 3,500 dioceses and eparchies governed by bishops. Throughout history, the church has had a large role in the development of Western civilization. Catholic communities are present worldwide through missions, immigration, and conversions. The majority of Catholics live in the Global South, reflecting rapid demographic growth in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as secularization in parts of Europe and North America. Catholic doctrine is rooted in the Nicene Creed and holds that the church is the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" founded by Jesus Christ. It teaches that bishops are the successors of the apostles and that the pope—the bishop of Rome—is the successor of Saint Peter the Apostle, entrusted with a unique and primary pastoral role. Leo XIV is the current pope, serving as the head of the church; the Diocese of Rome forms his local jurisdiction, while the Holy See serves as the church's central governing authority through the Roman Curia. Apostolic teaching is understood to be transmitted through Scripture and sacred tradition, interpreted by the magisterium, the church's teaching authority. Catholic liturgical life includes the Roman Rite, other rites of the Latin Church, and the liturgical traditions of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Religious orders, monastic communities, and lay movements contribute to a wide range of theological and devotional expressions within Catholicism globally. Among the church's seven sacraments, the Eucharist is seen as the source and summit of the Christian life and is celebrated in the Mass. Catholics believe that through consecration by a priest, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The Virgin Mary is venerated as the Mother of God and honored through dogmas such as the Immaculate Conception, perpetual virginity, and Assumption, including devotional practices. Catholic social teaching emphasizes care for the poor, the sick, and the marginalized. The church operates tens of thousands of educational, medical, and charitable institutions worldwide, making it the largest non-governmental provider of education and health care. (Full article...) Refresh with new selections below (purge) edit  Selected article The Introit Gaudeamus omnes, scripted in square notation in the 14th—15th century Graduale Aboense, honors Henry, patron saint of Finland. Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song of the western Christian Church. Although it had mostly fallen into disuse after the 1600s, it experienced a revival in the 19th Century in the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglo-Catholic wing of the Anglican Communion. Gregorian chant was organized, codified, and notated mainly in the Frankish lands of western and central Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries, with later additions and redactions, but the texts and many of the melodies have antecedents going back several centuries earlier. Although popular legend credits Pope Gregory the Great with inventing Gregorian chant, scholars believe that the chant bearing his name arose from a later Carolingian synthesis of Roman and Gallican chant.Gregorian chants are organized into eight scalar modes. Read more... More articles... edit  Selected image Credit: Raffaello Sanzio The School of Athens or "Scuola di Atene" in Italian is one of the most famous paintings by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael. It was painted between 1509 and 1510 as a part of Raphael's commission to decorate with frescoes the rooms that are now known as the Stanze di Raffaello, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. More pictures... edit  Selected biography Thurstan, or Turstin (c. 1070–February 6, 1140) was a medieval Archbishop of York. The son of a priest, he served King William II of England and King Henry I of England before his election to the see of York in 1114. Once elected, his consecration was delayed for five years while he fought attempts by the Archbishop of Canterbury to assert authority over York. Eventually, he was consecrated by the pope and allowed to return to England. While archbishop, he secured two new suffragan bishops for his province. When King Henry I died, Thurstan supported Henry's nephew Stephen of Blois as king. Thurstan also defended the northern part of England from invasion by the Scots, taking a leading part in organizing the English forces at the Battle of the Standard. Shortly before his death, Thurstan resigned from his see and took the habit of a Cluniac monk.Thurstan was the son of a canon of St Paul's in London named Anger or Auger who held the prebend of Cantlers. Another son of Anger, Audoen, was later Bishop of Évreux. Read more... More biographies... edit  Did you know... ... that Eugenio Pacelli's (the future Pope Pius XII) (pictured) 1936 visit to the United States was planned, in part, to investigate and silence Catholic priest and New Deal opponent Father Charles Coughlin? ... that the daughter of King Edward I of England, Sister Mary of Woodstock, OSB, traveled widely as the visitatrix of her abbess despite a papal travel prohibition for nuns? ... that Maria Gulovich, the daughter of a Byzantine Catholic pirest, sheltered Jews, worked for the anti-fascist underground, and was awarded the Bronze Star for saving the lives of OSS agents during World War II? More DYKs... edit  Related portals edit  Feast Day of September 1 Giles the Hermit (/dʒaɪlz/, Latin: Aegidius, French: Gilles, Italian: Egidio, Spanish: Gil; c. 650 - c. 710) was a Greek Christian ascetic active in France, most likely in the 7th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly legendary. A town that bears his name grew up around the monastery he purportedly founded, which became a pilgrimage centre and a stop on the Camino de Santiago. (Full article...) Attributes: arrow; crosier; hermitage; hind Patronage: beggars; blacksmiths; breast cancer; breastfeeding; cancer patients; cripples; disabled people; Edinburgh (Scotland); epilepsy; epileptics; fear of night; forests; handicapped people; hermits; horses; insanity; lepers; leprosy; mental illness; mentally ill people; noctiphobics; physically challenged people; paupers; poor people; rams; spur makers; sterility; woods See also: Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart ...More patrons Read more... edit  Selected quote Henry Cardinal Manning, Archbishop of Westminster “ Praise consists in the love of God, in wonder at the goodness of God, in recognition of the gifts of God, in seeing God in all things He gives us, ay, and even in the things that He refuses to us; so as to see our whole life in the light of God; and seeing this, to bless Him, adore Him, and glorify Him. ” — Henry Edward Cardinal Manning More quotes... edit  News September Our Lady of Sorrows Church of the Immaculate Conception, Monte Grande, Argentina. 22 August 2026 – Pastoral trips made by Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV makes a half-day papal visit to San Marino, including meeting with the Captains Regent, the local religious community, and visiting the Basilica of Saint Marinus. (Vatican News) (Holy See) 5 August 2026 – Pastoral trips made by Pope Leo XIV, Argentina–Holy See relations, Holy See–Peru relations, Holy See–Uruguay relations The Holy See Press Office announces Pope Leo XIV will make an apostolic journey to Argentina, Uruguay, and his home country of Peru, in November, marking his first trip to Latin America in his papacy. (AP) (Holy See) 29 July 2026 – China–Holy See relations, Catholic Church in China Pope Leo XIV consecrates Fr. Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun as the coadjutor bishop of Bameng in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region under the 2018 provisional framework that cedes authority over its bishops to the Chinese government. (Vatican News) 25 July 2026 – The Bishop of Aberdeen in Scotland declares the sedevacantist Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer religious institute, an order associated with the Society of Saint Pius X, to be excommunicated, after they consecrated a bishop without Vatican approval. (The Herald) (The Catholic Herald) News archive... edit  Subcategories Catholic Church Catholic Church by city Catholic Church by continent Catholic Church by country Catholic Church-related lists Catholic particular churches sui iuris Latin Church Eastern Catholic Churches Catholic bibles Buildings and structures of the Catholic Church Catholic Church portals Catholics Catholic charities Catholic culture Catholic dioceses Ecclesiastical polity of the Catholic Church Catholic ecumenical and interfaith relations History of the Catholic Church Catholic liturgy Catholic missions Catholic orders and societies Organisation of the Catholic Church Outlines of the Catholic Church Popes Catholic Church in popular culture Roman Catholic saints Catholic spirituality Catholic studies Catholic theology and doctrine Venerated Catholics Catholic Church stubs edit  Topics God the Trinity: God the Father · God the Son · God the Holy Spirit The Holy Bible: Old Testament (including the Deuterocanonicals) · New Testament Particular churches (grouped by liturgical rite): Latin Rite: Latin Church Alexandrian Rite: Coptic Catholic Church · Eritrean Catholic Church · Ethiopian Catholic Church Armenian Rite: Armenian Catholic Church East Syriac Rite: Chaldean Catholic Church · Syro-Malabar Catholic Church West Syriac Rite: Maronite Church · Syriac Catholic Church · Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Byzantine Rite: Albanian Greek Catholic Church · Belarusian Greek Catholic Church · Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church · Greek Byzantine Catholic Church · Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia · Hungarian Greek Catholic Church · Italo-Albanian Catholic Church · Macedonian Greek Catholic Church · Melkite Greek Catholic Church · Romanian Greek Catholic Church · Russian Greek Catholic Church · Ruthenian Catholic Church · Slovak Greek Catholic Church · Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church History: Jesus of Nazareth · The Apostles · Ecumenical councils · East–West Schism · The Crusades · Reformation Christian theology: Four Marks of the Church · Christian worship · Divine grace · Salvation · Sermon on the Mount · Ten Commandments edit  Things you can do If you want to help, you can do the following things: Contribute to one or more of the following articles: Articles needing attention: Coptic Catholic Church • Salesians of Don Bosco • Caritas Internationalis • Teresa Janina Kierocińska • St. Joseph's Cathedral, Allahabad • Emiliano Tardif • More... 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