Difference between revisions of "Roman Catholic Church"

Revision as of 14:03, January 24, 2010

The worst of the worst. Catholics are a particularly frightening breed of Christians that have created many traditions outside of the teachings of their bible. PAGE CORRECTED BY ANON

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-{{Christianity}}
+The worst of the worst. Catholics are a particularly frightening breed of Christians that have created many traditions outside of the teachings of their bible. PAGE CORRECTED BY ANON
-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). In recent years growth has been greatest in Africa and Latin America, while the numbers and influence in Europe have declined.
-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 Church consists of those Christians who are in full communion with the Pope. It includes "Uniate Catholics" in Eastern Europe who, strictly speaking, are not part of the "Roman" Church.
-The term "Catholic Church" is, literally, the ''Universal Church'' of [[Jesus Christ]] (from the Greek ''katholikos'', "universal"). see [[Catholic Church]]
-The split between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy dates to the eleventh century. The [[Reformation]] is the split between Catholicism and Protestantism that occurred in the sixteenth century. Two of the principal issues of contention between Catholics and Protestants are ''[[sola scriptura]]'' (the Protestant doctrine that the Bible alone is the final authority for Christians, which denies the authority of the Pope) and ''sola fide'' (the doctrine, popularized by [[Martin Luther]], that faith alone, as opposed to faith expressed in good works, is sufficient for salvation).
-[[Image:Cathpop.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Catholics in the world.]]
-==Organization==
-The Pope and the the international leadership of the Church are based in [[Vatican City]], an independent tiny country located inside Rome, Italy.
-The Catholic Church has a complex hierarchy of clergy, including:
-* The Pope
-*[[Cardinal]]s
-*[[Archbishop]]s
-*[[Bishop]]s
-*[[Abbot]]s
-*[[Monsignor|Monsignori]]
-*[[Archpriest]]s
-*[[Priest]]s
-*[[Deacon]]s
-The key roles are played by the Pope and the bishops, and the question of whether national governments should play a major role in nominating bishops to the Pope has been a major issue for centuries. See [[Gallicanism]]
-==Teachings==
-The chief teachings of the Catholic church are: God’s objective existence; God’s interest in individual human beings, who can enter into relations with God (through prayer); the Trinity; the divinity of Jesus; the immortality of the [[soul]] of each human being, each one being accountable at death for his or her actions in life, with the award of heaven or hell; the resurrection of the dead; the historicity of the [[Gospels]]; and the divine commission of the church. In addition the Roman Catholic Church stresses that since the members, living and dead, share in each other’s merits, the [[Virgin Mary]] and other saints and the dead in purgatory are never forgotten.<ref> [http://www.bartleby.com/65/ro/RomanCat.html The Columbia Encyclopedia]</ref>  The presence of Christ is believed to be present in the Eucharist, the bread and wine is Jesus himself. Another essential belief is the veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus as the Blessed Virgin Mary and veneration of the saints.
-The principal sources for the essential beliefs of the Catholic Church are the Sacred Scriptures (the Bible), Sacred Tradition, and Living Magisterium of the Church.
-The term Catholic is frequently applied to the Roman Catholic Church. Although many [[Protestantism|Protestant]]s object to Roman Catholics monopolizing the term, because the defined meaning of "catholic" (the adjective) is "universal" and comes from the Greek word Katholikos. The Eastern [[Orthodox Church]] and [[Anglican Communion]] also refer to themselves as, "one holy, catholic, and apostolic church..."<ref>http://www.answers.com/topic/catholic</ref>
-The Church teaches respect for all human life. It opposes the practices of contraception, abortion,<ref>Paul VI, Humanae Vitae (1968) http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html</ref> euthanasia and (in most cases) capital punishment.<ref> John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (1995) http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0141/_INDEX.HTM</ref>  The Church is in favor of social justice and "the common good."<ref> Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (2009) http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html</ref>
-== History ==
-===Early Church===
-The original Christian community was founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Apostles. St. [[Paul|Paul the Apostle]] was, together with [[Saint Peter]], the most notable of Early Christian missionaries. Christians were subjected to persecution, first under [[Nero]], shortly after the foundation of the church, and again, more severely, under the emperors [[Decius]] and [[Diocletian]] in the third century as well as [[Domitian]], [[Marcus Aurelius]] and others with the penalty for being Christian ultimately being death.  After almost 300 years of persecution against the Church had only seen Christianity flourish, the Emperor [[Constantine I]] had a religious experience and legalized Christianity in the early fourth century.  Going to war with the co-Emperor of the east [[Lucinius]] over his continued persecution of Christians, Constantine won and became sole Emperor.  The age of persecution was over.
-[[Image:Christians.jpg|thumb|450px]]
-In 380, Emperor [[Theodosius I]] accepted Christianity as the official religion of the [[Roman Empire]].
-=== Fathers of the Church ===
-[[Paul|St. Paul]] is the most prolific contributor to the [[New Testament]], and has been the most influential of all theologians.
-Other important early theologians include [[St. Ambrose]], Bishop of [[Milan]] from 374 to 397, and especially [[St. Augustine]].
-===Barbarians converted===
-Until the early fourth century AD Christianity enjoyed mixed reception in the Roman Empire and Christians were frequently subject to persecution. In the 310s Christianity became legalized and shortly thereafter became officially recognized by Constantine. In the following years Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular became increasingly powerful in the Roman Empire, although [[Arianism]] remained strong. In 380 AD, [[Theodosius I]] established the Catholic Church as the official religion of the Roman Empire. While the Empire continued to decline, Catholicism and Christianity continued to grow both among those directly under the Empire and among the barbarians until Rome was sacked by [[Alaric]] in 410. Alaric was an Arian Christian.
-After the collapse of the Western Empire, the Catholic Church became the most powerful political and religious force in Latin-speaking Europe and by the 8th century had achieved near total religious dominance with the removal of the last significant Arian groups.
-Aggressive missionary activities accomplished the conversion of almost all the pagan tribes in Europe by the year 1000 AD.
-=== Great Schism ===
-After numerous disputes between eastern and western churches that became more pronounced from the ninth century onwards, the Church underwent the [[Great Schism]] in 1054 that divided it into a Western (Latin) branch, which has been called the Catholic Church and an Eastern branch, which has become known as the [[Orthodox Church]]. Both traced their roots to the time of Jesus, but the Orthodox Church did not acknowledge the Pope as the one leader of the Church and instead believed that all of the patriarchs were equals.
-During the 11th century, the [[Great Schism]] occurred between the church in the West and [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. This schism occurred over a variety of issues, especially those dealing with how much authority the Pope had. The causes were not purely religious, but cultural and geographic elements also played a role. Although later attempts at reconciliation occurred, such as at the [[Council of Basel]], the two remain separate to this day although both accept many of each others sacraments.
-=== Late Middle Ages ===
-Beginning in 1092 and continuing until the end of the 13th century, the Crusades occurred. These were a series of religious wars instigated by the Church against various other groups, especially the Muslims. Despite the focus on removing Islamic control of the Holy Land, the Crusaders massacred Jews and sacked Constantinople.
-During this time period, the [[Inquisition]]s started and would continue through the Protestant Reformation. The medieval inquisition focused on rooting out Cathars, while the later inquisitions such as the [[Spanish Inquisition]] focused on people who were believed to be secretly practicing [[Judaism]] or [[Islam]].
-===Reformation and Counter-Reformation===
-In 1517, [[Martin Luther]] started the [[Protestant Reformation]] which initially focused on the giving of [[indulgences]] but eventually grew to have a wide variety of different causes and issues. Eventually, Protestants rejected the notions of saintly intercession, the authority of the pope and many of the sacraments. This eventually led to a series of religious wars in [[Europe]] and the Protestant-Catholic split became one of the dominant themes in European events until modern times.
-===1815 to 1914===
-====Pius VII====
-Pius VII (1800-23) was stripped of powers by [[Napoleon]] but made a striking comeback after Napoleon's fall in 1815. Pius VII was a deeply religious Benedictine, and a theologian; he lived simply and  avoided nepotism. His unusually able Secretary of State Cardinal Consalvi won the restoration to the Pope of most of the territories in Italy which Napoleon had seized. He reinvigorated numerous monastic orders and helped create new societies for men and women, especially those engaged in teaching and missionary work.
-Most important was the restoration of the Jesuits in 1814; they had been suppressed in most countries. They grew larger and even more influential in the 19th century.
-====Conservatism====
-After 1800 the Papacy became the center of conservatism in Europe in reaction against the liberalism of the French Revolution and its admirers. The Papacy recognized that throughout Europe millions of peasants and poor folk were devoted to the saints and traditions of the Church; the Popes responded energetically by promoting new Marian devotions (such as the rosary). Rome had fallen into disrepair and Pius VII began the restoration of the city's artistic glories, an enterprise that continues into the 21st century. <ref> Kelly (1999); Duffy (2006); Latourette (1958) vol 1. </ref>
-====Ultramontane vs Gallican====
-The "ultramontane" tendency in the Church centralized more power and authority in the Papacy. It was opposed by the "[[Gallican]]" tendency, especially in France, to give national churches more control over their affairs.  The ultramontine forces generally won out, especially with the declaration of [[Papal Infallibility]] at the First Vatican Council in 1870. The ultramontane forces cited the old doctrines of [[Robert Bellarmine]] (1542-1621) and [[Francisco de Suárez]] (1548-1617) to bolster the papal claim to absolute power in spiritual matters.
-Gallicanism in France was damaged by the rise of ultramontanism in the 1850s and the devotional revolution that shifted piety to devotions sponsored by Rome. Gallicanism was officially suppressed by the First Vatican Council in 1870, which established the paramount authority of the pope as a matter of dogma. However informal manifestations of Gallicanism continue in some countries, especially China. In Canada, the Irish clergy fought for ultramontanism against the French clergy, who were Gallican. The [[Catholicism in Ireland|Irish]] won out with the support of the Vatican.
-After Vatican II, 1962-65, the multiple and often confused controversy among Catholics over papal  authority and infallibility largely ended, though some significant degree of opposition to it remains.<ref>such as by historian Garry Wills, author of ''Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit'' (Sophia Institute Press, 2003), and liberal theologian Hans Kung, author of ''Infallible?: An inquiry'' (1970)</ref><ref>David Carlin, ''The Decline and Fall of the Catholic Church in America'',‎ appendix 2</ref><ref>[http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/3543/vatican.htm Raymond Taouk, ''What are Catholics to think of Vatican II?'']</ref>
-This dissent is mainly manifested in disagreement with Roman Catholic teaching on birth control and abortion, which yet remains strong.<ref>[http://www.christianethicstoday.com/Issue/014/Infallibility%20in%20Ethical%20Perspective%20By%20John%20M.%20Swomley_014_26_.htm John M. Swomley, ''Infallibility in Ethical Perspective Christian Ethics Today], Issue 014 Volume 4 No 1 February 1996</ref> <ref>56% of U.S. Catholics said that the pope is not infallible "when he teaches on matters of morals, such as birth control and abortion"; 80%  of Catholics believed it is possible to disagree with the pope on official positions on morality and still be a good Catholic. Time/CNN nationwide poll of 1,000 adults, conducted by Yankelovich Partners, Sept. 27-28, 1995</ref>
-====Facing Modernity====
-Despite dire predictions, the Church adapted to modernity in its own way and increased its role in people's lives in the 19th century. The Church escaped irrelevance by using the same means as did emerging nation-states; establishing more administrative and doctrinal centralization in Rome; establishing a homogeneous culture, aided especially by universal use of Latin; promoting new rites and folk devotions, especially those focused on Mary and other favored saints; promoting pilgrimages to holy sites; encouraging clergy to endorse and lead regional nationalist movements that focused on historic languages and cultures; creating many new teaching orders and establishing Catholic schools and colleges; supporting intellectuals and publishing houses; enhancing papal power; and cultivating an image of both theologiocal canonical and moral superiority. Of special importance was the missionary activity, based especially in Germany, that was in competition with Protestant missions in China, India, Africa and other non-Christain lands.  The Jesuits proved highly adept at promoting the Papal cause. The Pope thereby became less symbolic and more powerful. There was internal dissent among some Catholic intellectuals, such as historian [[Lord Acton]] in Britain and theologian Ignaz von Döllinger in Germany, who opposed the declaration of the dogma of papal infallibility.
-=====Syllabus of Errors=====
-The [[Syllabus of Errors]] of Pope [[Pius IX]] in 1864 rejected the liberal doctrines of the modern world.<ref> see text at [http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius09/p9syll.htm]</ref> It denounced pantheism, naturalism, nationalism, indifferentism, socialism, communism, freemasonry, and other modern views. The Pope claimed for the Catholic Church total control over science and culture. The liberals viewed this as a declaration of war by the Church on modern civilization. Its repercussions within France, the U.S., Britain and other countries were resounding, nearly destroying the liberal Catholic movement and furnishing a powerful weapon to the anticlerical faction, or (in the U.S.) to anti-Catholic Protestants. Opponents stressed the Papacy had become intolerant and medieval and largely political in nature.<ref> Latourette (1958) vol 1 ch. 6</ref>
-====Facing Liberalism====
-Burns (1990) takes a sociological perspective on the Papacy's long battle with liberalism. He shows how the papacy, in reaction to the rise of the liberal states of the 19th and 20th centuries, gradually reformulated Catholic ideology within the limited autonomy they possessed and carefully subordinated social and political issues to more purely religious and moral issues as they constructed an ideological opposition to liberalism.
-In Germany in the 1840s the ultramontane movement used mass meetings and pilgrimages to combat the growth of liberalism and modernism. However the abnti-clerical liberal press attacked these mass meetings, and in response a large number of Catholic newspapers emerged in Germany starting in the 1840s. To ensure their own survival, these newspapers championed the liberal idea of press freedom. In addition, local clubs were established to mobilize the Catholic working class. These clubs tried to end discrimination against ordinary Catholics by working to establish freedom of religion and freedom of thought and by entering the electoral process.  With the unification of Germany in 1870, the new nation faced the problems of consolidation, one of which was secularization. The laws dealing with secularization opened a poltical battle between Bismark and the Protestants and liberals on one side, and the Catholics on the other, called the "[[Kulturkampf]]." The Catholics organized their own political parties and protected their interests by voting as a bloc into the 1930s, when the Nazis closed down all other parties.
-====Freemasons====
-In many countries the Church faced off against the Freemasons, a secret society that was politically active in numerous countries. The Papcy coordinated a counterattack. For example in Brazil, the religious question in the 1870s centered on the Masonic controversy and the struggle between regalist and ultramontane forces.  One method of counterattack was to found Catholic universities. Thus Mgr. Ignace Bourget, second bishop of Montreal, Canada, founded Laval University, as a Catholic reaction to a liberal and secularist outburst in Quebec. Bourget said the university would be the principal instrument for "wresting the elite from the clutches of liberalism."
-====Women====
-A spiritual revolution took place in the 19th century, moving individuals to personal piety.  There was a much greater emphasis on the role of Mary, and a greatly increased involvement of women; the number of sisters and nuns increased from 20,000 to 400,000 between 1815 and 1914.
-Camp (1990) traces the treatment of women. In the late 19th century the papacy began to revise its public teachings about the proper role of women in the Church and society. From Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) to Pope John Paul II (1978-2005), papal social pronouncements reveal an evolution in attitudes toward a woman's proper "place" from the view that women are passive subordinates to men in all spheres of life to the current teaching that lay and clerical women are equal but complementary partners with men in religious, political, economic, and social endeavors. However, the papacy has remained firm in the conviction that ordination to the priesthood is for men only.
-====Social changes====
-Urbanization brought millions of peasants out of the villages to industrial cities, where church facilities were few.
-====Arts====
-[[Image:Cerro_de_Angeles.jpg|right|thumb|230px|Cerro de los Angeles, Madrid, Spain.]]
-The arts provided a refuge from modernity in the form of a nostalgic aesthetic. Church architecture saw the revival of the medieval [[Gothic]] style. Romantic literature, for example by Chateaubriand, helped inspire a Catholic revival. In music, Catholic churchgoers were likely to be exposed to an officially sponsored revival of a cappella singing in the manner of Palestrina. The rapid development of symphonic and operatic forms affected sacred music, resulting in many masses, requiems, and te deums for large orchestra and chorus, sometimes even composed by skeptics such as Berlioz and Verdi.
-====Politics====
-In politics as democracy and popular government spread, religious motivations moved people into one party or the other.  The parties in such battles tended to be different depending on the religious configuration of a given country. In Catholic countries such as France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, sharp confrontations emerged between clericals and anti-clericals; in countries with mixed Catholic and Protestant populations such as Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Britain and the U.S., political splits occurred along confessional lines.  In the U.S. the great majority of the Catholics -- led by the Irish--became [[Democratic Party|Democrats]].  In Germany the Catholics formed their own Center party to fight off attacks from the Protestants, such as the [[Kulturkampf]].
-The British attempt to impose Protestantism on Ireland not only fueled the Catholic revival there but also contributed to its spread via emigration – not only to the U.S. and Canada, but also to Australia, New Zealand, and England itself, increasing the Catholic population in all of these. Quickly the Irish took control of the Church in each country and created a new system of schools, colleges, hospitals and charities.  The Poles, having lost their nation state in the 1790s, turned to an intense religiousity, that preserved national identity, and which they carried with them to industrial centers in the U.S. and Germany.
-===20th century===
-====Vatican II====
-[[File:John-23.jpg|right|thumb|270px|[[Pope John XXIII]] reigned 1958-63]]
-The "Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican" (called [[Vatican II]]), was called by [[Pope John XXIII]] and was in session from 1962 to 1965. It dramatically modernized and transformed church policies, with major changes to official theology and liturgy. Liturgical changes included the introduction Mass in local languages instead of Latin. Theologically, the council deemphasized somewhat the centrality of Mary while also adding a new emphasis on individual and personal holiness. It recognized the possibility of salvation for Jews, Muslims, and Protestants.
-Reactions among Catholics to Vatican II fall into three camps. "Liberal" Catholics, drawing on the established Catholic belief in the "journeying" nature of the Church, see Vatican II and the new period that it marked in Catholic history as representing a significant advancement in our understanding of the divine revelation contained in the Gospels which justifies major changes in Catholic belief and practice. "Conservative" Catholics (including the recent popes) hold that the decrees of the Council, properly understood, are wholly in line with the historic Catholic faith, and that they should not be used as an excuse for unwarranted innovations. "Traditional" (or "traditionalist") Catholics regard the teachings of Vatican II as problematic, or even as heretical, and tried to operate churches using the old liturgies.
-[[Image:JpII.jpg|right|thumb|[[Pope John Paul II]] reigned 1978-2005]]
-==Abuse scandal==
-Widespread controversy erupted in 2001 and the years following over past abuse of teenage boys by some Catholic priests involving inappropriate sexual contact. Worse, bishops typically covered up the episodes and moved the offending priests to new positions. For the most part the Catholic Church quietly cleaned this up internally in the mid 1980s. The vast majority of allegations of abuse that came to light in the 2000s occurred before this time period. Of course most priests were not involved, but the damage that could be done by even a small number of priests if not properly checked was horrible. It was a case of breaking vows, including vows of celibacy, and committing acts of [[homosexuality]] which are condemned by the Church.<ref>http://cc.msnscache.com/cache.aspx?q=72992710807995&mkt=en-US&lang=en-US&w=98cf251&FORM=CVRE4</ref>. There were no reports of girls as victims, or nuns as perpetrators.
-The stereotype resulting from the scandal portrayed the priests involved as [[pedophilia|pedophiles]], though most of them were [[pederasty|pederasts]] who preyed upon post-pubescent teenage boys.<ref>http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E2D71E38F931A15750C0A9649C8B63</ref>
-Due to the scandal, the U.S. Catholic Church has paid out $2.6 billion in abuse claims.  The Los Angeles diocese settled claims by 500 victims for $660 million.  Similar scandals hit the Catholic Church in other countries, notably Ireland.
-== See also ==
-*[[Cafeteria Catholic]]
-*[[Catholic views on creationism‎]]
-*[[Dead Sea Scrolls]]
-*[[Eucharist]]
-*[[Jesus Christ]]
-*[[Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer]]
-*[[Pope John Paul II]]
-*[[Vatican City]]
-==External links==
-[[Image:Virgen.jpg|right|thumb|Virgin Mary and Child]]
-*[http://www.Vatican.va The Vatican]
-*A digital version of [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/ ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''].
-*[http://www.cua.edu/ The Catholic University of America] Washington, D. C.
-*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm St. Paul] Catholic Encyclopedia.
-*[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm Catechism of the Catholic Church] Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church web site.
-*[http://www.pellegrinocattolico.com/index.html Al Pellegrino Cattolico] Italian web site.
-==Further reading==
-* Bokenkotter, Thomas. ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Concise-History-Catholic-Church/dp/0385516134/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241119912&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
-* Brown, Peter. ''The Rise of Western Christendom: Triumph and Diversity 200-1000 AD'' (2002), 640pp
-*  Chadwick, Owen. ''A History of the Popes, 1830-1914.'' (1998), 616pp; a standard recent history. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=12355195 online edition],
-* Coppa, Frank J.  ''The Modern Papacy since 1789.'' Longman, 1998. 296 pp.
-* Daniel-Rops, Henri. ''The Church in the Eighteenth Century'' (1964)
-* Daniel-Rops, Henri. ''The Church in an Age of Revolution'' (1965).
-* Holland, Joe.  ''Modern Catholic Social Teaching: The Popes Confront the Industrial Age 1740-1958.'' Paulist Press, 2003. 404 pp.
-* Kung, Hans. ''The Catholic Church: A Short History'' (2003), by a leading Catholic scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Church-History-Library-Chronicles/dp/0812967623/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241119912&sr=8-15 excerpt and text search]
-* Latourette, Kenneth Scott. ''Christianity in a Revolutionary Age: A History of Christianity in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries'' 5 Vol'' (1958), a detailed history of Chritianity 1800-1950 by a fair-minded Protestant scholar. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=101463833 vol 1 online edition]
-* Logan, F. Donald.  ''A History of the Church in the Middle Ages.'' 2002. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102805754# online edition]
-*  Mullett, Michael A. ''The Catholic Reformation,'' (1999), [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102890994 online edition]
-* O'Toole, James M. ''The Faithful: A History of Catholics in America'' (2008) [http://books.google.com/books?id=BFlBzSAVW6kC&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:The+intitle:Faithful+intitle:A+intitle:History+intitle:of+intitle:Catholics+intitle:in+intitle:America&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=0 excerpt and text search]
-* Pastor, Ludwig von. ''History of the Popes From the Close of the Middle Ages'', (1894-1930), 16 vol, older Catholic history [http://books.google.com/books?spell=1&lr=&q=pastor+history+popes&as_brr=1 online from books.google.com]
-* Ullmann, Walter. ''A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages,'' (2002), 393pp, [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=107602176 online edition]
-* Schreck, Alan. ''The Compact History of the Catholic Church'' (2009)
-* Vidmar, John. ''The Catholic Church through the Ages: A History'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Church-through-Ages-History/dp/0809142341/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241119912&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
-===Reference===
-* ''New Catholic 'Encyclopedia'' (1967), complete coverage of all topics by Catholic scholars
-* ''Catholic Encyclopedia,'' (1913) [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/ online edition]  complete coverage by Catholic scholars; the articles were written about 100 years ago
-* Coppa, Frank J., ed.  ''Great Popes through History: An Encyclopedia.'' (2002). 600 pp.
-* Kelly, J.N.D. ''The Oxford Dictionary of Popes'' (1988). 349pp; scholarly short biographies; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=54850171 online edition]
-==References==
-<references/>
-[[Category:Catholic Church| ]]
-[[Category:Christian History]]
-[[Category:Christian Denominations]]

Difference between revisions of "Roman Catholic Church"

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