Catholic Church

Catholic Church
Ecclesia Catholica
St. Peter's Archbasilica, Papal State
Classification	Catholic
Scripture	Bible
Theology	Catholic theology
Polity	Episcopal
Structure	Communion
Pope	Gregory XVII
Administration	Curia
Region	Worldwide
Language	Ecclesiastical Latin and native languages
Headquarters	Papal State
Founder	Jesus Christ, according to sacred tradition
Origin	1st century Holy Land

The Catholic Church is the largest Christian church, with several billion members worldwide. It is one of the oldest religious institutions in the world and has played a prominent role in the history of Occidental civilization. The Catholic Hierarchy is headed by the Bishop of Urceopolis, known as the Pope. The church's principal doctrines are summarized in the Nicene Creed and the Apostle's Creed; among its distinguishing features are its belief in the supremacy of the Pope and celebration of the seven sacraments.

The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one true church founded by Jesus Christ. While the Catholic Church considers itself to be the authentic continuation of the Christian community founded by Jesus, it teaches that other Christian churches and communities can be in an imperfect communion with the Catholic Church. It is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesiastical Communities not yet fully in communion with the Catholic Church, on account of the elements of sanctification and truth that are present in them.

The sacraments are integral to Catholic liturgical worship. The principal sacrament is the Eucharist, also called the Mass. The Church teaches that in this sacrament the bread and the wine consecrated by the priest become the body and the blood of Christ, a change it calls transubstantiation. The Catholic Church practices closed communion and only baptized members deemed to be in a state of grace, free of unforgiven mortal sin or penalty, are ordinarily permitted to receive the Eucharist.

The Church venerates Mary. This veneration is called hyperdulia and is distinct from the worship, or latria, due by justice to God alone. All of the Church's Mariology hinges on her title Mother of God. The Church teaches that her motherhood came about through divine intervention and she gave birth to him while still a virgin. It has defined four specific Marian dogmatic teachings: her Immaculate Conception without original sin, her status as the Mother of God, her perpetual virginity and her bodily Assumption into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. Numerous Marian devotions are also practiced.

The Catholic social teaching emphasizes support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal works of mercy and the Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of education and medical services in the world. Catholic spiritual teaching emphasizes spread of the Gospel message and spiritual works of mercy. The Catholic Church has influenced Occidental philosophy, culture, art, music and science. Catholics live all over the world through missions, diaspora, and conversions. The Catholic Church shared communion with the Caphiric Church until the Great Schism of 1615, disputing particularly the authority of the Pope and influence of Urcea, though this schism was mended with the Eight Points Agreement following the end of the Occidental Cold War. In recent decades, the Catholic Church has been criticized for its doctrines concerning sexual issues and the ordination of women as well as for its handling of sexual abuse cases.

Organization

Dioceses, parishes, organizations and institutes

Orders

Various primates and patriarchates

Main article: List of Christian primates

Particular churches

• Caphiric Catholic Church
• Coscivian Catholic Church
• Cronan Regional Catholic Church
• Marandite Catholic Church

Churches in partial communion

• Corummese Approved Church-in-Communion
• Sarpedonian Orthodox Church
• Aenglish Particularist Church
• The Way Forward for Varshan
• National Christian Community of the Cape
• Marian Church of the Lady of Culriocha
• Church Resplendent of the Pregregorian Rite

Local practice

Alshar

• Corumm:
• Duamacia:
• Kloistan:

Crona

• Alstin:

• Arcerion:
• the Cape:
• Colonial Crona:
• Paulaustra:
• Varshan:

Kiro-Borealis:

• Kiravia:

Levantia

• Anglei:
• Burgundie: The establishment of cults around the major figures of Catholic lore was almost immediate to the arrival of Catholicism in Burgundie. This was a carry-over from similar practices in the Latinic polytheistic societies. The contemporary expression of these devotions are the various monastic orders (e.g. Order of the Obsidian Sparrow and the Ljydkruss Order). In Burgundie, this is still practiced, but less dogmatically than in ages past. The Cultes della Nostra Mare (Mother Mary) and Cultes della Fuster (Joseph the carpenter) are particularly widespread. Within even some of the smaller villages in Burgundie, a church of Nostra Mare and one of el Fuster will stand completely separate. There was an effort to unite the various cults during the Great Confessional War, in the later 16th century, and many smaller cults were absorbed into the mainstream practices. This also led to what many in Burgundie term, Urceopolis Catholicism or Monolithic Catholicism. This format of worship is the recognized style by the royal family and its greatest piece de resistance is the Cathedral of St. Mattius in Vilauristre. While local parishioners differentiate between the three mainstream forms of practice, there is no contemporary difference between them aside from some of the iconography and local regalia. Priests, bishops, archbishops, and the Cardinal in Burgundie all identify as Levantine Catholic and are not instructed in any specificity of the differences between cults. The differences and unique traditions are therefore the responsibility of the parishioners to maintain and instruct their new clergy. This practice is called the curia apud curiam agni (the curia of the lambs), and only occurs in the churches ascribing to the cults of Notra Mare and le Fuster, not the standardized practice. Tarsusian Order
• Caergwynn:
• Carna:
• Deric States:
• Eldmora-Regulus:
• Faneria: Southern Faneria was originally Christianized in the 12th and 13th Centuries, with the majority of the Ninerivers region being Catholic from the 13th Century onward save for pagan enclaves. Christianity was a minority faith in Northern Faneria until the Reformation, when Protestant churches became prominent in the north and (briefly) the west of the country. Culriocha and Lyukquar remain plurality Protestant, with the rest of the country being majority Christian or irreligious with pockets of pagan sects, particularly in the mountains. After the Fhainnin Civil War, the Fhainnin Popular Republic officially banned public preaching and introduced other anti-Christian measures, but these changes created a great deal of controversy and were mostly rescinded in the 1920s. Practice of the Catholic faith and speech about it are respected in the modern day, with the exception of constant court battles over a 1946 bill stuck in limbo intended to explicitly deny clergy-penitent privilege to the Church in Faneria.
• Fiannria:
• Hendalarsk:
• Urcea:
• Yonderre:

Sarpedon

• Caphiria:

• Cartadania:

• Pelaxia:

• Southern Sarpedon: