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:''"Catholic Church" redirects here. For other uses of the term, see Catholic Church (disambiguation) .'' The Roman Catholic Church, or '''Catholic Church''', is the largest Christian Church in the world. According to the ''Statistical Yearbook of the Church''''Statistical Yearbook of the Church'' 2003 (ISBN 88-209-7710-9) , the Church's worldwide recorded membership at the end of 2003 was 1,085,557,000, over half of the estimate at that time of the total number of Christians. It is led by the Pope , the Bishop of Rome, currently His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI . It has defined itself as "the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of founded by Jesus Christ for the Salvation of all people. The Church traces its origins to Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, in particular Peter, the leader of the Apostles, who is traditionally regarded as the first Pope. It rose to prominence in the fourth-century Roman Empire, when Constantine I issued the Edict Of Milan in 313. From 380, Christianity was the Roman state Religion . TERMINOLOGY in Rome . The statue in the foreground is of Saint Peter , whose successor the Pope is considered, within the Catholic Church, to be.]] The Church considered in this article uses many names to describe itself, none of which it has declared to be the definitive name by which it should be known. However, when drawing up documents jointly with other Churches, it refers to itself either as ''the Catholic Church'' or as ''the Roman Catholic Church''. Divergent usages attach a certain ambiguity to each of these terms. Some apply the term ''Roman Catholic Church'' only to the Western Or Latin Church, excluding the Eastern-Rite Particular Churches that are in full Communion with the Pope, and are part of the same Church, under the Pope, taken as a whole. As for the term ''Catholic Church'', Oriental Orthodox , Eastern Orthodox , Lutheran , Anglican , Old-Catholic , and other Christians claim to be, or to be part of, the Catholic Church. For detailed discussions of various understandings of the term, see Catholicism , Catholic , and One Holy Catholic And Apostolic Church . For reasons of simplicity and clarity, the term "Catholic Church" is freely used within this article without suggesting acceptance of any claims thought to be implicit in that term, while "Roman Catholic Church" is used without endorsing the view that the Church in question is merely part of some larger "Catholic Church". Both terms are treated within this article simply as alternative names for the entire Church "which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him" BELIEFS The Catholic Church is a Christian church, and therefore shares core beliefs with the majority of other trinitarian groups generally considered to be Christian. The Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed , which are accepted by most major Christian Denominations , can be considered a fundamental core of the Catholic Church's beliefs. However some Christian denominations have developed a Different Understanding of many central issues concerning Christ's role in the Church and of the salvation of believers that vary greatly from the Church's historic teachings. Roman Catholics believe that Jesus's role in the Church includes an ongoing active role in maintaining the Church free from doctrinal error, and in using the sacraments of the Church as a fount of Grace for humanity. These are issues which are fundamental for Catholicism (and Orthodoxy) but which are denied by many Protestant denominations. The Catholic Church has published a detailed exposition of its beliefs in the Catechism Of The Catholic Church . The nature of God blessing faithful.]] Catholicism is the Church has taught that, while by the natural light of human reason God can be known in his works as origin and end of all created things (cf. Romans 1:20), God has also chosen to reveal himself and his will supernaturally in the ways indicated in the Letter to the Hebrews 1:1–2. Catholicism is also Trinitarian : it believes that, while God is one in nature, essence, and being, this one God exists in three divine persons, each identical with the one essence, whose only distinctions are in their relations to one another: the Father's relationship to the Son, the Son's relationship to the Father, and the relations of both to the Holy Spirit, constitute the one God as a Trinity. A Catholic Christian is baptized in the name (singular) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit — not three gods, but One God subsisting in three Persons. The faith of the Church and of the individual Christian is based on a relationship with these three Persons of the one God. The Catholic Church believes that God has revealed himself to humanity as Father to his only-begotten Son, who is in an eternal relationship with the Father: "No one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27). Catholics believe that God the Son, the second of the three Persons of God, became Incarnate as Jesus Christ , a human being, born of the Virgin Mary . He remained truly divine and was at the same time truly human. In what he said, and by how he lived, he taught us how to live, and revealed God as Love, the giver of unmerited favours or Graces. After Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection , his followers, foremost among them the Apostles , spread more and more extensively their faith in Jesus Christ with a vigour that they attributed to the Holy Spirit, the third of the three Persons of God, sent upon them by Jesus Christ. Humanity's separation from God Human beings, in Catholic belief, were originally created to live in union with God. Through the disobedience of the first humans, that relationship was broken and sin and death came into the world (cf. Romans 5:12). Man's fall left him separated from his original state of intimacy with God which carried into death through the idea of the individual human soul being immortal. But when Jesus came into the world, being both God and man, he was able through his sacrifice to reconcile humanity with God. By becoming one in Christ, through the Church, humanity was once again capable of intimacy with God but also offered a much more amazing gift: participation in the Divine Life, also called the Beatific Vision . The Church The Church is, as scripture states, "the body of Christ" (Rom 12: 4-5), and Catholics teach that it is one united body of believers both in heaven and on earth. There is therefore only one true, visible and physical Church, not several. And to this one Church, originally founded on Peter and the Apostles, Jesus gave a mandate to be authoritative teacher and guardian of the faith. The Church is also a fount of divine grace which is administered through the Sacraments . (see below). The Church claims infallibility in teaching the faith, based on Jesus's scriptural promises to remain with His Church always (Matt 28:20), and to maintain it in truth through the Holy Spirit (John 14: 16,17,26). In this, it bases its doctrines both on the written Apostolic record, (scripture), and upon the oral traditions passed down from the Apostles through the continuous witness of the Church. Section 8 of the Second Vatican Council 's Decree on the Church, '' Lumen Gentium '' {Link without Title} states that "the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as One, Holy, Catholic And Apostolic " subsists "in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him" (the term ''successor of Peter'' refers in Roman Catholic Understanding to the Bishop of Rome, the Pope ). The Catechism Of The Catholic Church , 85 states that authentic interpretation of the Word of God is entrusted to the living Magisterium of the Church, namely the bishops in communion with the successor of Saint Peter. Catholic theology places the authoritative interpretation of Scripture in the hands of the consistent judgment of the Church down the ages (what has always and everywhere been taught) rather than the private judgment of the individual. The Magisterium does, however, encourage its flock to read Sacred Scripture. According to the Catechism Of The Catholic Church , "the Church's first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with God." Thus the Church's "structure is totally ordered to the holiness of Christ's members" (''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' 775, 773). Salvation The Church teaches that salvation to eternal life is God's will for all people, and that God grants it to sinners as a free gift, a grace, through the sacrifice of Christ. Man cannot, in the strict sense, merit anything from God (''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 2007). It is God who justifies, that is, who frees from sin by a free gift of holiness (sanctifying grace, also known as habitual or deifying grace). Man can accept the gift God gives through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22) and through baptism (Romans 6:3–4). Man can also refuse the gift. Human cooperation is needed, in line with a new capacity to adhere to the divine will that God provides (cf. ''Response of the Catholic Church to the Joint Declaration of the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation on the Doctrine of Justification'', 2–3). {Link without Title} The faith of a Christian is not without works, otherwise it would be dead (cf. James 2:26). In this sense, "by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone" (James 2:24 - RSV), and eternal life is, at one and the same time, grace and the reward given by God for good works and merits. See ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 1987–2016. The Christian Path Following baptism, the Catholic Christian must endeavour to be a true disciple of Jesus. The believer must seek forgiveness of subsequent sins, and try to follow the example and teaching of Jesus. To help Christians, Jesus has provided seven sacraments (see below), which give Grace from God to the believer. Unless a Christian dies in unrepented Mortal Sin , which is normally remitted in Penance , that person has God's promise of inheriting eternal life. Before entering heaven, some undergo a purification, known as Purgatory . Catholics believe that God works actively in the world. Christians may grow in grace through prayer, good works, and spiritual disciplines such as fasting and pilgrimage. Christians can and should pray for others, even for enemies and persecutors (). Prayer takes the form of praise, thanksgiving and supplication. Catholics may address their requests for the intercession of others not only to people still in earthly life, but also to those in heaven, in particular the Virgin Mary and the other Saint s. As Mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary is also considered to be the spiritual mother of all Christians. Catholic teachings include a stress on forgiveness, doing good to others, and on the sanctity of life. The emphasis on the sanctity of life is manifested in practical terms by opposing activities which Catholics see as destroying divinely created life, including Euthanasia , Eugenics , Abortion , and Capital Punishment . ::''See main article: Catholic Social Teaching ''. The Catholic Church maintains that, through the graces Jesus won for humanity by sacrificing himself on the cross, salvation is possible even for those outside the visible boundaries of the Church, whether non-Catholic Christians or non-Christians, if in life they respond positively to the grace and truth that God reveals to them. This may sometimes include awareness of an obligation to become part of the Catholic Church. In such cases, "they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it, or to remain in it" (Second Vatican Council: Dogmatic Constitution ''Lumen gentium'', 14). LITURGY The Catholic Church sees the Eucharistic Liturgy , the celebration of the Mystery of Christ, in particular the Paschal Mystery of his death and resurrection, as the high point of its activity and the source of its life and strength. The central part of the Mass is the consecration by which the priest, through the power of Christ, brings about the Transubstantiation or transformation of bread and wine into the true body and blood of Christ. See Also: Catholic sacraments As explained in greater detail in the ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' and its shorter ''Compendium'', the liturgy is something that "the whole Christ", Head and Body, celebrates — Christ, the one High Priest, together with his Body, the Church in heaven and on earth. Involved in the heavenly liturgy are the angels and the saints of the Old Covenant and the New, in particular Mary, the Mother of God, the Apostles, the Martyrs and "a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues" (Revelation 7:9). The Church on earth, "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), celebrates the liturgy in union with these: the baptized offering themselves as a spiritual sacrifice, the ordained ministers celebrating at the service of all the members of the Church in accordance with the order received, and bishops and priests acting in the person of Christ. The Catholic liturgy uses signs and symbols whose significance, based on nature or culture, has been made more precise through Old Testament events and has been fully revealed in the person and life of Christ. Some of these signs and symbols come from the world of creation (light, water, fire, bread, wine, oil), others from life in society (washing, anointing, breaking bread), others from Old Testament sacred history (the Passover rite, Sacrifice s, laying on of hands, consecrating persons and objects). These signs are closely linked with words. Though in a sense the signs speak for themselves, they need to be accompanied and vivified by the spoken word. Taken together, word and action indicate what the rite signifies and effects. Singing and music are associated with the liturgy. So also are sacred images, which proclaim the same message as do the words of Sacred Scripture and which help to awaken and nourish faith. In addition to the Sacraments , instituted by Christ, there are many Sacramental s, sacred signs (rituals or objects) that derive their power from the prayer of the Church. They involve prayer accompanied by the sign of the cross or other signs. Important examples are blessings (by which praise is given to God and his gifts are prayed for), consecrations of persons, and dedications of objects to the worship of God. Popular devotions are not strictly part of the liturgy, but if they are judged to be authentic, the Church encourages them. They include veneration of relics of saints, visits to sacred shrines, pilgrimages, processions (including Eucharistic processions), the Stations of the Cross (also known as the Way of the Cross), Holy Hours, Eucharistic Adoration, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Rosary. Sunday, which commemorates the resurrection of Christ and has been celebrated by Christians from the earliest times (1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10; Ignatius of Antioch: Magn.9:1; Justin Martyr: I Apology 67:5), is the outstanding occasion for the liturgy; but no day, not even any hour, is excluded from celebrating the liturgy. The sole exception is for the Eucharistic liturgy on Good Friday and on Holy Saturday before the Easter Vigil , when it is not celebrated. The Liturgy Of The Hours consecrates to God the whole course of day and night. Lauds and Vespers (morning and evening prayer) are the principal hours. To these are added one or three intermediate prayer periods (traditionally called Terce , Sext and None ), another prayer period to end the day ( Compline ), and a special prayer period called the Office Of Readings (formerly known as Matins ) at no fixed time, devoted chiefly to readings from the Scriptures and ecclesiastical writers. The Second Vatican Council suppressed an additional 'hour' called Prime . The prayers of the Liturgy of the Hours consist principally of the Psalter or Book Of Psalms . Like the Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours has inspired great musical compositions. An earlier name for the Liturgy of the Hours and for the books that contained the texts was the Divine Office (a name still used as the title of one English translation), the Book of Hours, and the Breviary . Bishops, priests, deacons and members of religious institutes are obliged to pray at least some parts of the Liturgy of the Hours daily, an obligation that applied also to Subdeacon s. New Testament worship "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24) is not linked exclusively with any particular place or places, since Christ is seen as the true temple of God, and through him Christians too and the whole Church become, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). Nevertheless the earthly condition of the Church on earth makes it necessary to have certain places in which to celebrate the liturgy. Within these churches, chapels and oratories, Catholics put particular emphasis on the altar, the Tabernacle (in which the Eucharist is kept), the seat of the bishop (' Cathedra ') or priest, and the baptismal font. The richness of the Mystery of Christ cannot be exhausted by any one liturgical tradition and has from the beginning found varied complementary expressions characteristic of different peoples and cultures. As catholic or universal, the Church believes it can and should hold within its unity the true riches of these peoples and cultures. There are in the liturgy, specifically in the sacraments, elements that cannot be changed, because they are of divine institution. These the Church must guard carefully. Other elements may be changed, and the Church has the power, and sometimes the duty, to adapt them to the different cultures of peoples and times. Likewise, the great variety of Catholic Spirituality enables individual Catholics to pray privately in many different ways. PARTICULAR CHURCH ES WITHIN THE SINGLE CATHOLIC CHURCH Unlike "families" or "federations" of Churches formed through the grant of mutual recognition by distinct ecclesial bodies, the Catholic Church considers itself a single Church ("one Body") composed of a multitude of local or Particular Churches , in each of which the one Catholic Church is embodied. The universal Church, however, is believed to be "a reality ontologically and temporally prior to every individual particular Church" (''Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects of the Church understood as communion'' of 28 May 1992 , 9). {Link without Title} However, the Catholic Church attaches great importance to the Particular Churches within it, whose theological significance the Second Vatican Council highlighted. Two uses of the term ''particular Church'' are distinguished. Autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular Churches or Rites The higher of these two levels of particular Churches is that of what the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on the Catholic Eastern Churches, ''Orientalium Ecclesiarum'', 2 {Link without Title} calls particular Churches or rites. There are 23 such autonomous Churches, one "Western" and 22 "Eastern", a distinction by now more historical than geographical. The term ''sui iuris'' means, literally, "of their own law", or self-governing. Although all of the Particular Church es espouse the same beliefs and faith, their distinction lies in their varied expression of that faith through traditions, disciplines, and Canon Law . All 23 are in communion with the Pope in Rome. The central importance for the Catholic Church of the Eucharistic liturgy explains the traditional use of the term ''Rite'' to distinguish these particular Churches. The term ''rite'' is, however, not devoid of ambiguity, since it can refer also to a liturgical rite. To take one instance, the Ukrainian particular Church uses, along with others, the Byzantine ''liturgical'' rite, but has itself been customarily referred to as "the Ukrainian Rite". Since a legal text must be careful to avoid ambiguity, the 1983 Code of Canon Law adopted, instead of the term ''rite'' (found in the 1917 Code of Canon Law), the term ''autonomous ritual Church'' (in Latin, ''Ecclesia ritualis sui iuris'') for the reality that the Second Vatican Council called a "particular Church or Rite"; and the 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches shortened this to ''autonomous Church'' (in Latin, ''Ecclesia sui iuris''). Since then, the term ''Rite'', once the normal term, is rarely used to refer to these Churches, but has not fallen altogether out of use. A single "particular Church or Rite" may use several liturgical rites: the Latin Church does. And several distinct "particular Churches or Rites" may use the same liturgical rite: no less than fourteen use the same Byzantine liturgical rite, in some cases without even a distinction of language. The autonomy of each particular Church, Eastern or Western, shows in its distinctive liturgy, canon law, theological tradition, etc. The Latin or Western particular Church is governed by the ''Code of Canon Law'', while the ''Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches'' outlines the discipline that the Eastern autonomous particular Churches have in common. The '' Annuario Pontificio '', the yearly directory of the Holy See, gives the following list of Rites or autonomous particular Churches, and of countries or other political areas in which they possess an episcopal ecclesiastical jurisdiction (patriarchate, major archbishopric, archeparchy, eparchy, exarchate or ordinariate): Latin Rite or autonomous Church ::(On liturgical rites used within the Latin particular Church, see Latin Liturgical Rites ) Eastern Rites or autonomous Churches:
The Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church Of Pittsburgh , while being, strictly speaking, a constituent ''metropolia'' or province of the Ruthenian Catholic Church has been treated as if it held the rank of an autonomous metropolitan particular Church, because, when it was set up as an ecclesiastical province (1969), conditions in the Ruthenian homeland admitted no other solution. To it has been entrusted the care also of other United States Byzantine Catholics who have no Hierarch of their own Church. In other countries too, such Eastern Catholics may be entrusted to an Eastern Hierarch, though more commonly to the Latin Ordinaries. Particular or local Churches In Catholic teaching, each diocese too is a local or particular Church, though it lacks the autonomy of the particular Churches described above: "A diocese is a section of the People of God entrusted to a bishop to be guided by him with the assistance of his clergy so that, loyal to its pastor and formed by him into one community in the Holy Spirit through the Gospel and the Eucharist, it constitutes one particular church in which the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and active" (Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church ''Christus Dominus'', 11 {Link without Title} ). The standard form of a particular or local Church is called in the Latin Rite a Diocese and in the Eastern Rites an Eparchy . For other forms, see below under " The Episcopate ". The Holy See of Rome is seen as central, and its bishop, the Pope , is considered to be the (sole) successor of Saint Peter , the chief (or "prince") of the Apostles . The 2006 edition of the Holy See 's '' Annuario Pontificio '' reported the total number of all these particular local Churches or sees at the end of the previous year as 2,770. Theological significance The particular Churches within the Catholic Church, whether rites or dioceses, are seen as not simply branches or sections of a larger body. Theologically, each is considered to be the embodiment in a particular place of the whole Roman Catholic Church. "It is in these and formed out of them that the one and unique Catholic Church exists" (Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Decree on the Church ''Lumen Gentium'', 23. {Link without Title} ). RELATIONS WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN CHURCHES (left) and Pope Paul VI in 1964]] The Catholic Church attributes very high authority to 21 Ecumenical Councils : Nicaea I (325), Constantinople I (381), Ephesus (431), Chalcedon (451), Constantinople II (553), Constantinople III (680–681), Nicaea II (787), Constantinople IV (869–870), Lateran I (1123), Lateran II (1139), Lateran III (1179), Lateran IV (1215), Lyons I (1245), Lyons II (1274), Vienne (1311–1312), Constance (1414–1418), Florence (1438–1445), Lateran V (1512–1517), Trent (1545–1563), Vatican I (1869–1870), Vatican II (1962–1965). Of these, the Orthodox Churches of Byzantine tradition accept only the first seven, the family of " Non-Chalcedonian " or "pre-Chalcedonian" Churches only the first three, and the Christians of Nestorian tradition only the first two. Dialogue has shown that even where the break with one of these ancient Churches occurred as far back as the Councils of Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451), long before the break with Constantinople (1054), the few doctrinal differences often concern terminology, not substance. Emblematic is the "Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East" {Link without Title} (note the less common but by no means unique use in an inter-Church document of "Catholic Church" rather than "Roman Catholic Church"), signed by "His Holiness John Paul II, Bishop of Rome and Pope of the Catholic Church, and His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East", on 11 November 1994. The division between the two Churches in question goes back to the disputes over the legitimacy of the expression "Mother of God" (as well as "Mother of Christ") for the Virgin Mary that came to a head at the Council of Ephesus in 431. The Common Declaration recalls that the Assyrian Church of the East prays to the Virgin Mary as "the Mother of Christ our God and Saviour", and the Catholic tradition addresses the Virgin Mary as "the Mother of God" and also as "the Mother of Christ", fuller expressions by which each Church clearly acknowledges both the divinity and the humanity of Mary's son. The co-signers of the Common Declaration could thus state: "We both recognize the legitimacy and rightness of these expressions of the same faith and we both respect the preference of each Church in her liturgical life and piety." Some, at least, of the most difficult questions in relations with the ancient Eastern Churches concern not so much doctrine as practical matters such as the concrete exercise of the claim to papal primacy and how to ensure that ecclesial union would not mean mere absorption of the smaller Churches by the Latin component of the much larger Catholic Church (the most numerous single religious denomination in the world), and the stifling or abandonment of their own rich theological, liturgical and cultural heritage. There are much greater differences with the doctrinal views of Protestants , who Catholics feel have broken continuity with the past. But even with these groups, dialogue has on both sides clarified some misunderstandings of what the other believes. THE HIERARCHICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH See Also: Catholic Church hierarchy The Church is a Hierarchical organization headed by the Pope, with Ordained Clergy divided into the Orders of Bishop s, Priest s, and Deacon s. The Pope , like his predecessors, is considered by Catholics as the Vicar of Christ and therefore leader of all Christians.]] What most obviously distinguishes the Catholic Church from other Christian bodies is the link between its members and the Pope. The Catechism Of The Catholic Church , 882, quoting the Second Vatican Council’s document ''Lumen Gentium'', states: "The ''Pope'', Bishop of Rome and Peter’s successor, ‘is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.’" {Link without Title} The Pope is referred to as the Vicar of Christ and the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church. He may sometimes also use the less formal title of "Servant of the Servants of God". Applying to him the term "absolute" would, however, give a false impression: he is not free to issue decrees at whim. Instead, his charge forces on him awareness that he, even more than other bishops, is "tied", bound, by an obligation of strictest fidelity to the teaching transmitted down the centuries in increasingly developed form within the Roman Catholic Church. In certain limited and extraordinary circumstances, this papal primacy, which is referred to also as the Pope's Petrine authority or function, involves Papal Infallibility , i.e. the Definitive character of the teaching on matters of faith and morals that he propounds solemnly as visible head of the Church. In any normal circumstances, exercise of this authority will involve previous consultation of all Catholic bishops (usually taking place in holy Synod s or an Ecumenical Council ). The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 891 says: "’The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful – who confirms his brethren in the faith – he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals... The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter’s successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium ,’ above all in an Ecumenical Council ." {Link without Title} These are two ways, the ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 890 states, in which the pastors of the Church exercise the Charism of infallibility with which Christ has endowed them for the purpose of guarding from deviation and decay the authentic faith of the definitive covenant that God has established in Christ with his people. In other words, they are two ways of ensuring that "the gates of Hell will not prevail" (Matthew 16:18) against the Church. The Pope lives in Vatican City , an independent state within the city of Rome, set up by the 1929 Lateran Pacts between the Holy See and Italy. Ambassadors are accredited not to Vatican City State but to the Holy See, which was a subject of international law even before the state was instituted. The body of officials that assist the Pope in governance of the Church as a whole is known as the Roman Curia . The term "Holy See" (i.e. of Rome) is generally used only of Pope and curia, because the Code of Canon Law, which concerns governance of the Latin Church as a whole and not internal affairs of the see (diocese) of Rome itself, necessarily uses the term in this technical sense. The present rules governing the election of a pope are found in the apostolic constitution ''Universi Dominici Gregis''. {Link without Title} This deals with the powers, from the death of a pope to the announcement of his successor’s election, of the cardinals and the departments of the Roman curia; with the funeral arrangements for the dead pope; and with the place, time and manner of voting of the meeting of the cardinal electors, a meeting known as a Conclave . This word is derived from Latin ''com-'' (together) and ''clavis'' (key) and refers to the locking away of the participants from outside influences, a measure that was introduced first as a means instead of forcing them to reach a decision. A pope has the option of resigning. (The term "abdicate" is not normally used of popes.) The two best known cases are those of Pope Celestine V in 1294 (who, though the poet Dante Alighieri pictured him condemned to hell for this action, was canonized in 1313) and Pope Gregory XII , who resigned in 1415 to help end the Great Western Schism . The cardinalate | ||
| Historians Of Science Including Non-Catholics Such As | "http://wwwlrbcouk/contribhomephpget=heil01JL" class="copylinks" target="_blank">Heilbron , s say some &mdash that the Church has had a negative influence in the development of civilization They argue that not only did the monks save and cultivate the remnants of ancient civilization during the barbarian invasions, but the Church promoted learning and science through its sponsorship of many Universities which grew rapidly in Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries, under its leadership The Church's priest-scientists many of whom were Jesuits were the leading lights in Astronomy , Geomagnetism , Meteorology , Seismology , and Solar Physics , becoming the "fathers" of these sciences |