The History of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church has a founding date set sometime during the Confession of Peter, which occurred when the Apostle Peter declared Jesus the Messiah. During this instance, which is in the Gospels, Jesus told Peter that he was the leader of the Apostles. Catholics believe that Jesus gave Peter the authority to lead the temporal branch of the Church. Peter was the first Catholic pope and the position of the pope has continued to lead the Church today.

Early struggles of the church

Right after the death of Christ, the Church struggled for many years to gain followers. Many Christians experienced persecution for years until 313 A.D. when Christianity was legalized by Emperor Constantine I. During this time, Catholicism was the most popular form of Christianity, and the Church mainly struggled against the Islamic invaders. During the 11th century, the Church was split between the Latin side and the primarily Greek side. This led to the formation of the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church on the other side.

Reformation and counter reformation

Many people in the 16th century began to speak out against Catholicism and form their own churches. These were the first Protestant churches, and in response the Catholics formed the Counter-Reformation. This was a time of reform within the Church that included the Council of Trent that called all Protestantism heresy.

Current catholic trends

Next to the Council of Trent, the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s helped reform the Church. This council allowed for parishes to have mass spoken in languages other than Latin. The current Church states that it is a champion for the poor and it has a central role in many social issues throughout Latin America in recent years.

The Church is also working on improving relations with the Eastern Orthodox Church after hundreds of years of disagreement. Catholicism remains one of the most traditional and conservative Christian religions with their stances on marriage, sex and other issues. The Church still has millions of adherents, especially throughout South American and Europe.