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{{Christianity}}

{{Christianity}}

The '''Roman Catholic Church''' is the common name of the oldest, largest and most important Christian denomination. It is headed by the [[Pope]] (Supreme Pontiff), currently [[Pope Benedict XVI]]. It is the largest [[Christian]] denomination in the world, with more than 1.3 billion officially baptized adherents, or 17.4 per cent of the world population (In the United States more than 64 million).  The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest institution in the western world; it asserts that the Pope is the divinely-chosen successor of [[St. Peter]], the 'rock' ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matt]] 16:18) upon whom Jesus built his church.  

The '''Roman Catholic Church''' is the common name of the oldest, largest and most important Christian denomination. Members are called "Catholics." It is headed by the [[Pope]] (Supreme Pontiff), currently [[Pope Benedict XVI]]. It is the largest [[Christian]] denomination in the world, with more than 1.3 billion officially baptized adherents, or 17.4 per cent of the world population (In the United States more than 64 million).  The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest institution in the western world; it asserts that the Pope is the divinely-chosen successor of [[St. Peter]], the 'rock' ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matt]] 16:18) upon whom Jesus built his church.