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Roman Catholicism

Catholicism is a denomination of Christianity represented by the Catholic Church and its institutions. The dogmas and precepts of Catholicism based on the Old and New Testament. As a Christian, it is based on the life and teachings of the life of Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth. So a Church Eucharistic who believes in the presence of Jesus Christ during Holy Communion. The development of the Church rests on the teaching of the Church Fathers and the various ecumenical councils such as the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the First Vatican Council (1870) and the Second Vatican Council (1962 - 1965). For Catholics, as writing that the tradition must be taught and revered Names

The word "Catholicism" is the adjective derived from Greek / katholikos meaning "universal" or "general", more precisely the universality of Christ's message. The word first appeared late in the French language ( 1598 ) and only became aware that from 1794 (he preferred before " Christianity ").

Churches Christian in the first millennium assertive both Orthodox because they believe conform to the "right doctrine" (ortho doxa), and "Catholics", recognizing the universality of the message of Jesus Christ who spoke up 'in 1054 in one institution, the Christian Church of East and West. For Catholics themselves, the word Catholic has several meanings that are complementary: "universal", "becoming one with Christ" and "respecting the full confession of faith and complete right willed by God " (formulated synthetically in the creed or symbol of the apostles , the first term still underway in Eastern Christianity has been changed to correspond to the various developments of Roman theology), openness to the "full faith", without denying any section.

It seems that the first use of the term in Christianity dates back to Ignatius of Antioch in his Letter to Smyrna (c. 112 ): "Where is Jesus Christ, there is the Universal Church." The first Council of Nicaea I in 325 sets its symbol, the forerunner of the current creed, which ends: "For those who say:" There was a time when he was not "and" Before birth, it does was not "and" It was created out of nothing, "or who say that the Son of God is of another substance (hypostasis) or another essence (ousia), or is subject to change or alteration, Catholic and Apostolic Church declares them anathema. "

In this sense, the word Catholic is opposed to the word heresy : Heresy is a choice, sort, and does not preserve the organic unity of the Christian faith and its universality. History shows that divisions emerged within the Christian manifest dissension in terms of faith but also politically (the study of councils reveal choices that are more the result of power struggles as the manifestation of the Holy Spirit ). The interpretation of the primacy of Peter, the status of Scripture, the sacraments , the anthropology , the ecclesiology , the spirituality and rituals are deeply affected by differing visions.

The first Council of Constantinople I ( 381 ) repeats this phrase in "We believe in one holy Church, catholic and apostolic."

However, in 1054 , appeared a division within Christianity : The schism of 1054 (and theological quarrels of precedence between the pope and the patriarch of Constantinople ) separates the Eastern Churches, say churches of the seven councils ( Jerusalem , Constantinople , Alexandria and Antioch ) of the Church of Rome (actually the Western Church). Since this schism, the word orthodox means the Orthodox Church (strongly present in the East, which is why it is sometimes called the Church of the East: Greece, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Caucasus or Middle East) while the words "Catholic" and "Catholicism" will become common usage in the West since the eighteenth century the attribute of the Roman Catholic Church , although each claims to be a Catholic Church in towards a universal and the universality of Christ as the son of God. (This is why the Orthodox they recite daily, according to the Creed of Nicea-Constantinople, dating from the fourth century : "I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church"). Differences, both in the faith of canon law , are among the best known: the reversal of sign of the cross by Roman Catholics (to distinguish themselves from the Orthodox during the Crusades, which began just after the split) the quarrel known as the filioque , the existence of purgatory, the infallibility of the Pope, the mandatory celibacy of priests (in the West appeared to XI - XII centuries , the Popes were historically married to the eighth century and bishops to IX - X centuries , which posed problems of succession), the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (for the Orthodox, Mary was struck by the birth of original sin , but never knew precisely sin), all theological doctrines developed by the only Roman Church and the Orthodox Church has refused to adopt the finding contradicts the faith expressed and fixed in the first seven councils of the undivided Church still.

The Catholic Church does not reduce the Church called "Latin" Rite Ambrosian. Some Eastern churches (Chaldean, Syrian, Lebanese, a small fraction of the Coptic and Greek), often called Uniate churches in Rome were united primarily in the nineteenth century , and recognize the authority and primacy of the pope. Their canonical organization (including, for example, the ordination of married men) and especially their liturgy, however, retained characters Orthodox. Unlike the Uniate, the Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Church after a non-Orthodox mother church, but has its own Syriac Antiochian rite. She never separated from the Catholic Church and is located in a state of perfect communion with the Pope.

Some churches and Christian communities after the Great Schism of 1054 retain the word "Catholic" in their name, without admitting, in practice if not in theory, the primacy of the Pope of Rome:

Another schism due to political reasons and later followed by doctrinal differences: the appearance of the Anglican Church in 1534.

But the biggest schism in Western and Central Europe, separating both doctrinal, political, economic and moral (the market for indulgences is compatible with the Gospels), was from 1517 the Reformation represented mainly by the Saxon Martin Luther , the French Jean Calvin and the Swiss Ulrich Zwingli : since then consistently opposed the word Catholic, Europe and North America, to protest. The Protestant is known at the time by the French Catholic Church RPR (RPR).

Since then, are recognized as "Catholic" by the Vatican, the "United Churches in the Church with Christ who directs the Sovereign Pontiff and the bishops" . Anecdotally, they concern mainly the people who were conquered in antiquity by Roman troops and whose governments have fought to reform politically sixteenth and eighteenth centuries centuries (Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, etc..).

Confessions of the Universal Church (before the schism of 1054)

Catholic bookstore, also offering objects of worship: holy pictures , rosaries , crucifixes.

The Nicene-Constantinople is based on the work of a series of ecumenical councils (meetings of all bishops), the last in Constantinople in 325, contains an article that says "I believe in one holy Catholic (Catholic meaning here simply universal) and apostolic. " The other three Ecumenical Councils, meeting in the East with the participation of ambassadors of the pope and the Eastern patriarchs such important that Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria , agreed to define the faith that is shared then the overwhelming majority of Christians, where will be coming later called Catholic churches and Orthodox. These terms are used, for simplicity, to make a distinction between the Roman Church and other churches of the East under the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem and Alexandria. The Roman Church on one side, like the churches of the East another, all consider themselves as legitimate heirs of the "one, holy, catholic (catholic meaning here simply universal) and Apostolic" Rome does not recognize not that his faith would no longer Orthodox Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem and Alexandria have lost do not recognize the catholicity (universality). In the minds, the distinction Catholic / Orthodox will not come until much later and all delegates to the first four ecumenical councils generally agree among themselves, either spontaneously or under pressure from the imperial power. Some who do not follow the majority line will be at the origin of so-called pre-Chalcedonian Churches, the most notable are the Nestorian and Monophysite churches.

Originally, the differences are not doctrinal but rather the effect of political factors translated into church life by questions of precedence among all the patriarchs and metropolitans of the East West. Indeed, a canon of the first Council of Nice provides that popes are elected Metropolitans (bishops metropolitan) of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch and Rome: the seat of the papacy was thus "turning point" between these four cities. This title is confirmed for the first time the Metropolitan of Alexandria, the lifetime of the apostle Peter was martyred during the reign of the emperor Galba. However, the Metropolitan of Constantinople is gaining importance as the Roman imperial power moved in, while Rome is declining. Constantinople is then added to the list, but once the bishop of Rome prevails, as successor of Peter, first among the apostles, Jesus had assigned to Peter according to the Gospels: he claims primacy and authority on his colleagues from the end of the fourth century.

A large majority of Western Christians recognize the authority of the Pope of Rome and the Catholic Apostolic and Roman Catholicism which is often identified. There are however some branches of Christianity that do not recognize that authority after it being away for various reasons (Anglican and Reformed churches).

Moreover, the question of " filioque "(an addition formalized at the time of Charlemagne to the symbol of Nicaea-Constantinople) is supporting the differences between Eastern and Western Christianity separated since 1054. For Eastern Christians, a Holy Spirit not arising as God allows it to save every soul, even non-Christian, but that Christians have to act otherwise than by prayer. For Western Christians, however, the Holy Spirit from Christ also is an imperative duty to actively convert non-Catholics. Therefore, since the schism, the Church "orthodox" and send more missionaries has never been an Inquisition . References

  1. Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, 9.
  2. Catechism of the Catholic Church , pages 182 and 183.
  3. Catechism of the Catholic Church on page 184.

Notes

Bibliography

  • Michel Sales , SJ, The Body of the Church, Studies in Church one, holy, catholic and apostolic, Fayard, coll. "Communio", 1989
  • Timothy Ware, The Church of the seven Councils, Descle de Brouwer, Paris , 1997, ( ISBN 2220040224 ) (2nd ed., 1st ed. in French in 1968)
  • Johann Alzog, Universal History of the Church, old books for download on Gallica
  • Rene Francois Rohrbacher , Universal History of the Catholic Church, old books for download on Gallica
  • Patrick Levaye , Geopolitics of Catholicism, Editions Ellipses, 2007 ( ISBN 2729835237 )
  • Benno Zuiddam, Hope and Disillusionment (Hope and disillusionment), an introduction to the history of the Western Church) Importantia, Dordrecht, 2010.
  • Joseph Moingt SJ believe anyway, free discussions on the present and the future of Catholicism, this time, 250 p., 2010

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