What is the catholic Church?
The Catholic Church is the only church today that can claim to be the one church founded by Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. Its Mass has remained virtually unchanged since the 1st century. Additionally, the papacy is the oldest surviving absolute monarchy in the world. Roman Catholicism is just another name for Catholicism, which many regard as the first example of Christianity.
What do catholics Believe?
The entirety of the Catholic doctrine is laid out in the Catechism, which you can read online here. The Catechism is based off the Bible.
Catholics believe in one God who had one true son, Jesus Christ. They follow the teachings of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ as laid out in the Holy Bible. They also believe in the Holy Spirit, which is what allowed Jesus Christ to be anointed as God’s son. Catholics believe in life after death, as long as they obey the Sacraments- Catholics will die in body, because of the original sin of Adam and Eve, but they will live eternally in heaven because Jesus forgives their sins.
There are seven Sacraments that Catholics follow, which are visible rites and traditions passed to the Church from Jesus Christ. The practicing of the Sacraments, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, are signs of grace by which divine life is given to Catholics. The Sacraments are: Most among these is the Eucharist. The largest part of the Eucharist is Holy Communion, in which baptized Catholics are able to eat the body of Christ and drink his blood (physically embodied by eating a wafer and drinking wine/grape juice). The Eucharist is able to happen because a priest blesses the food so that it will literally become the body and blood of Christ, as ordered in the Bible.
Additionally, Penance is the Sacrament that Confession falls under.
These physical actions cause many Catholics to feel very close to Jesus and God, connected through the Holy Spirit.
Have more questions? Consult this and the Catechism.
Catholics believe in one God who had one true son, Jesus Christ. They follow the teachings of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ as laid out in the Holy Bible. They also believe in the Holy Spirit, which is what allowed Jesus Christ to be anointed as God’s son. Catholics believe in life after death, as long as they obey the Sacraments- Catholics will die in body, because of the original sin of Adam and Eve, but they will live eternally in heaven because Jesus forgives their sins.
There are seven Sacraments that Catholics follow, which are visible rites and traditions passed to the Church from Jesus Christ. The practicing of the Sacraments, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, are signs of grace by which divine life is given to Catholics. The Sacraments are: Most among these is the Eucharist. The largest part of the Eucharist is Holy Communion, in which baptized Catholics are able to eat the body of Christ and drink his blood (physically embodied by eating a wafer and drinking wine/grape juice). The Eucharist is able to happen because a priest blesses the food so that it will literally become the body and blood of Christ, as ordered in the Bible.
Additionally, Penance is the Sacrament that Confession falls under.
These physical actions cause many Catholics to feel very close to Jesus and God, connected through the Holy Spirit.
Have more questions? Consult this and the Catechism.
Catholic Church hierarchy
Catholics believe that bishops are the successors of the apostles (Jesus’ twelve followers) and that the Pope is the successor to Saint Peter. The Pope is infallible, meaning that he can never be wrong in his teachings. Cardinals elect a Pope from among their number when the existing Pope dies. The Pope is elected for life. Watch a very entertaining video about how to become Pope here.
The Church in 1625
Urban VIII was Pope at the time of the play. The general Catholic situation was that there was the Holy Roman Empire (which was not Holy, or Roman, or an empire, but rather the name that the House of Hapsburg was given by Pope Leo) and the Vatican, from which the Pope ruled. Protestantism, started by Martin Luther, was spreading rapidly across Europe. Together, the Holy Roman Emperor, Catholic Kings, and the Pope were trying very hard to stamp out Protestantism, mostly by killing huge swaths of Protestants at a time. Cardinal Richelieu is right to be concerned- it was the first time the Catholic Church had really been unstable since its inception.