Roman Catholicism is a worldwide religious tradition of some 1.1 billion members.

It
traces its history to Jesus of Nazareth, an itinerant preacher in the area around
Jerusalem during the period of Roman occupation, in the early 30s of the Common
Era. Its members congregate in a communion of churches headed by bishops, whose
role originated with the disciples of Jesus. Over a period of some decades after Jesus'
life, death, and resurrection, the bishops spread out across the world to form a
"universal" (Greek, katholikos) church, with the bishop of Rome (traced to the apostle
Peter) holding primacy. Today Vatican City and specifically, Saint Peter's Basilica
stands over the grave of Peter, and the pope is considered Peter's successor.
Catholic Christianity began as a persecuted religious community, illegal in the Roman
Empire in its earliest days, but within some three hundred years and with the
conversion of the Emperor Constantine, it became legal and eventually was
recognized as the official religion of the Empire. With the decline and fall of Rome in
the 5th century, the Roman Church assumed both temporal and spiritual authority in
the West; it thus had enormous influence on the development of the art and culture of
the western world through the Middle Ages. Today, its growth is fastest in Africa,
South America, and Asia.

Quick Fact Details:

Formed: The exact date of the beginning of the Roman Catholic Church is
indeterminable. While the belief system recognized as Christianity is in place by
the first century, institutional structures developed over time. Nor is it possible to
distinguish Catholicism as a separate tradition until it can be differentiated from
other Christian traditions (most notably, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism).
Scholars recognize a variety of significant institutional, theological, and cultural
markers in this development:

325 Council of Nicea. The first post-apostolic ecumenical council

of the Christian community at which Church leaders formed a creedal
statement of belief recognized universally.

381 First Council of Constantinople. This council amended and

ratified the Nicene Creed, resulting in the version used by Christian churches
around the world.

440-461 Pope Leo I. Many historians suggest that Pope Leo is the
first to claim universal jurisdiction over the worldwide Church, thus initiating
the rise of the papacy, a uniquely Roman Catholic structure.

451 The Council of Chalcedon. This is the first occasion of an

institutional division within Christianity, as those who did not adhere to the
conclusions of the Council (referred to as Oriental Orthodox) separated.

1054 The Great Schism. Though the Eastern and Western branches
of the Church had long been divided over theological, cultural, linguistic, and
ecclesiological disputes, the separation was formalized in 1054, thus creating
the first large-scale division within Christendom.

16th century The term "Roman Catholic" is not generally used until
the Protestant Reformation, and some historians see the Council of Trent

(1545-1563) as a centralizing movement within Catholicism that enhanced the

authority of Rome.

Sacred Texts: The Roman Catholic Church includes in the Old Testament
several deuterocanoncial books that Protestants rejected. The New Testament is the
same as that used by Christians everywhere.

Pope Francis (Latin: Franciscus; Italian: Francesco; born Jorge Mario

Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is pope of the Catholic Church, in which capacity he
is both Bishop of Rome and absolute sovereign of the Vatican City State.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical
technician and nightclub bouncer before beginning seminary studies. He was ordained
a Catholic priest in 1969 and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina's Provincial
superior of the Society of Jesus. He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998
and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.
Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal
conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March. He chose Francis as
his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the
first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first nonEuropean pope since the Syrian Gregory III in 741, 1,272 years earlier.

Throughout his public life, both as an individual and as a religious leader, Pope
Francis has been noted for his humility, his concern for the poor and his commitment
to dialogue as a way to build bridges between people of all backgrounds, beliefs and

faiths. He is known for having a simpler and less

formal approach to the papacy, most notably by
choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae
Marthae guesthouse rather than the papal
apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by his
predecessors. In addition, due to both his Jesuit
and Ignatian aesthetic, he is known for favoring
simpler vestments void of ornamentation,
including refusing the traditional papal
mozzetta cape upon his election, choosing silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring,
and keeping the same pectoral cross he had when he was cardinal. Francis has said
that gay people should not be marginalized but maintained the Church's teaching
against homosexual acts as a cardinal, he opposed same-sex marriage in Argentina and
elsewhere. In addition, he maintains that he is a "son of the Church" regarding loyalty
to Church doctrine, has spoken against abortion as "horrific", and suggested that
women be valued not clericalized. Summarily Pope Francis reiterates that "It is absurd
to say you follow Jesus Christ but reject the Church."
Accordingly, he urged Bishop Charles J. Scicluna of Malta to speak out against
adoption by same-sex couples, maintained that Catholics who remarry following
divorce may not receive the Eucharist, and excommunicated a former Catholic
priest for Eucharistic sacrilege and heretical views. He emphasized the Christian
obligation to assist the poor and the needy, and promoted peace
negotiations and interfaith dialogue. Pope Francis has also announced a zero-tolerance
policy towards sex abuse in the Church, saying that sex abuse was "as bad as
performing a satanic mass."