Concept in Definition ABC

Through the word Catholicism we can designate that religion that is professed by Christians and that is distinguished by the recognition of the Pope as the representative of God on earth and as the maximum authority of the Catholic Church.

Branch of Christianity that recognizes the Pope as the highest authority on earth

It is the main branch into which Christianity has been divided in what became known as the Great Schism, in the year 1054, a conflict in which the separation between the Pope and bishop of Rome and the highest authorities of the Orthodox Church took place.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion with Abrahamic roots, because it finds its origin in the legacy of the first prophet of the Jews Abraham, the other two that share this origin are Judaism and Islam.

Bases on which Catholicism is based

The fundamental basis of Christianity are the teachings and messages of Jesus of Nazareth that are brought together in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, Christians and therefore Catholics, believe that Jesus is the son of God who became man and came to earth to redeem the men of original sin, and that for this he died crucified on the cross and a few days later rose again, an event that is celebrated in the Easter.

Furthermore, Catholics, as the followers of Catholicism are called, as we have already pointed out, are faithful believers and assiduous assistants to the celebrations, doctrine, theology, ethical values ​​and dogmas of the Church Catholic

The concept of Catholicism has also been used to refer to the Universal Church and everything that depends on it and produces it: its doctrine, theology, the liturgy, the ethical principles that govern it, the characteristics and the norms of behavior that it demands.

And also the term Catholicism is used to designate the set of individuals who profess the catholic religion.

It should be noted that dogmas, as Catholics call the truth revealed by God and promoted by the Church for the knowledge and belief of Catholics, they turn out to be the fundamental beliefs that distinguish and define the Catholic religion with respect to other Christian proposals.

Meanwhile, these revealed truths find their reason for being, on the one hand, in the Bible, and on the other hand in the tradition apostolic, that is, in the testimony of the apostles who accompanied Jesus in his passage through earth.

Main Catholic dogmas

Then, the amount of dogmas that nourish Catholicism is varied, while among the most outstanding we can mention: that of the Trinity, that maintains that there are three divinities: the father, the son and the holy spirit, which make up a single God; the Eucharist, which are the bread and wine transformed into the Eucharist that Catholics receive at Masses; the Immaculate Conception, proposes that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the only mortal who has not been affected by sin original, then, from its conception, enjoyed freedom from sin, unlike the rest of the mortal; and finally the divine motherhood, which establishes that the Virgin Mary is the mother of God.

Sacraments and commandments

On the other hand, Catholicism recognizes seven sacraments, which were opportunely established by Jesus and that the Catholic must respect and observe: Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, marriage and holy order.

And also, fulfilling an essential role in Catholicism, we meet the ten Commandments proposed by God to Moses so that men fulfill them without exceptions: love God above all things, do not take God's name in vain, sanctify the Lord's day, honor father and mother, do not kill, no commit impure acts, do not steal, do not bear false testimony, or lie, do not indulge in impure thoughts or desires, and do not covet goods strangers.

The influence of the Pope: today Francis

A paragraph Apart from that, the Pope deserves, who for Catholicism is the highest representative of God on earth and to whom they pay homage and I respect absolute.

He is considered as the successor of Saint Peter, an apostle who accompanied Jesus, and who has been considered the First Pope.

Currently, the Pope of the Catholic Church is Francisco, former Cardinal Primate and Archbishop of Buenos Aires, the capital of his homeland, Argentina.

When Pope Benedict XVI decided to resign, in 2013, the conclave of cardinals, which is the body that elects the Popes of the Catholic Church, elected Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who decided to call himself as Pope Francisco.

Francisco arrived at a complex moment in the Church, with the loss of the faithful and also with tremendous accusations of pedophilia by some members, while Francisco, with a profile certainly far from that of the traditional Pope, less formal, hyper humble, closer to the people and the most in need, has been able to positively change the image of the Church in the world and attract the faithful again lost.

Topics in Catholicism