Brief History of the Catholic Church (some of which is disputed)
 Early
Catholicism came to be organized under five patriarchs, the bishops of
Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople and Rome. The Bishop of
Rome was at that time recognized as first among them, and doctrinal or
procedural disputes were sometimes referred to Rome for an opinion.
When the Imperial capital moved to Constantinople, Rome's influence was
often challenged. While Rome claimed special authority and descent from
St. Peter2 and St. Paul, who, all agreed, were martyred and buried in
Rome, Constantinople had become the residence of the Emperor and the
Senate, and the churches at Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria were all
older than Rome. Antioch furthermore was considered to have been the
see of St. Peter, before he went to Rome.
 The
first great rupture in the Catholic Church followed the Council of
Ephesus (AD 431), which affirmed the Virgin Mary as Theotokos. The
majority of those who refused to accept this Council were Persian
Christians, a Church now known as the Assyrian Church of the East. The
next major break was after the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451). This
Council repudiated Eutychian Monophysitism. The terms adopted by this
Council were unacceptable to many Christians who preferred to use a
Christology formulated primarily in Alexandria. These Christians are
now often referred to in English as the Oriental Orthodox Communion,
thus treating "Eastern" and "Oriental" as not synonymous).
The
next major rift within Catholicism was in the 11th century. Doctrinal
disputes, including that about the Filioque clause, conflicts between
methods of Church government, and perhaps the evolution of separate
rites and practices, precipitated a split in AD 1054 that divided the
Catholic Church once again, this time between a "West" and an "East".
England, France, the Holy Roman Empire, Scandinavia, and much of the
rest of Western Europe were in the Western camp, and Greece, Russia and
many of other Slavic lands, Anatolia, and the Christians in Syria and
Egypt who accepted the Council of Chalcedon made up the eastern camp.
This division is called the East-West Schism. The most recent major
split within the Catholic Church occurred in the 16th century with the
Protestant Reformation, after which many parts of the Catholic Church
rejected the leadership of Rome and reformed themselves, becoming
Protestant.
All of the preceding groups, including
Protestants, consider themselves to be fully and completely Catholic.
All of them claim to be either part of the Catholic Church or the only
Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic Church
The
Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of
Christianity with over one billion members. It claims that it is both
organizationally and doctrinally the original Christian Church, founded
by Jesus Christ. It also claims unbroken Apostolic Succession from St.
Peter and the other Apostles. It is both the largest and the oldest
continuously operating institution in existence.
Other Catholic groups
 In
Western Christianity the principal groups that regard themselves as
"Catholic" without full communion with the Pope are the Ancient
Catholic Church, the Old Catholic Church, the Liberal Catholic Church,
the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, similar groups among
Filipinos and Poles, and some elements of Anglicanism ("High Church
Anglicans" or "Anglo-Catholics").
These groups hold spiritual
beliefs and practice religious rituals similar to those of Roman
Catholics of the Latin Rite from which they emerged, but reject the
Pope's claimed status and authority. Some Traditional Catholic groups
are in a similar position. The Liberal Catholic Church, founded when
Charles W. Leadbeater, formerly a clergyman in the Church of England,
and later one of the heads of the Theosophical Society, was ordained as
a bishop in the Old Catholic Church, additionally incorporates
significant elements of theosophy into its doctrinal faith.
The
Anglican Communion is in practice divided into two wings, "High Church
Anglicans" also called the Anglo-Catholics and "Low Church Anglicans"
also known as the Evangelical wing. Though all elements within the
Anglican Communion recite the same creeds, Low Church Anglicans regard
the word Catholic in the universal sense, while High Church Anglicans
treat it as a name of Christ's church which they consider to embrace
themselves together with the Roman Catholic and several Orthodox
Churches.
Anglo-Catholicism maintains similarities to the
Latin Rite of Roman Catholicism and related spirituality, including a
belief in seven sacraments, Transubstantiation as opposed to
Consubstantiation, devotion to the Virgin Mary and saints, the
description of their ordained clergy as "priests" — addressed as
"Father" — the wearing of vestments in church liturgy, sometimes even
the description of their Eucharistic celebrations as "Mass". The
development of the Anglo-Catholic wing of Anglicanism occurred largely
in the nineteenth century and is strongly associated with the Oxford
Movement. Two of its leading lights, John Henry Newman and Henry Edward
Manning, both ordained Anglican clergymen, ended up joining the Roman
Catholic Church, becoming cardinals.
The several churches
of Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy each consider themselves to
be the universal and true Catholic Church, and typically regard the
other of these families and the Western Catholics as heretical and as
having left the One Holy Catholic, and Apostolic Church. The patriarchs
of these Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches are
autocephalous hierarchs, which roughly means that each of them is
independent of the direct oversight of another bishop (although still
subject, according to their distinct traditions, either to the synod of
bishops of each one’s jurisdiction, or only to a common decision of the
patriarchs of their own communion). They are willing to concede a
primacy of honor to the Bishop of Rome, but not to accept monarchical
claims.
Distinctive beliefs and practices (i.e., Roman Catholicism)
Catholicism Beliefs
 Most
of the Roman Catholic Churches share certain essential distinctive
beliefs and practices. The Anglicans differ among themselves on these
matters:
Direct and continuous organisational descent from the original church founded by Jesus
Possession of the "threefold ordained ministry" of Bishops, Priests and Deacons.
All ministers are ordained by, and subject to, Bishops, who pass down
sacramental authority by the "laying-on of hands", having themselves
been ordained in a direct line of succession from the Apostles.
Their belief that the Church, not any one book, is the vessel and
deposit of the fullness of the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.
This teaching is preserved in both written scripture and in written and
oral church tradition. Neither is independent of the other.
A belief in the necessity of sacraments (although not necessarily seven in number).
The use of images, candles, vestments and music in worship.
The making of the Sign of the Cross in a variety of contexts.
Belief that the bread and wine of the eucharist really are Jesus's body, blood, soul, and divinity — not just "symbols".
Veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus as the Blessed Virgin Mary or Theotokos, and veneration of the saints.
A distinction among worship (latria) for God, and veneration (dulia)
for saints, with the term hyperdulia used for a special veneration
accorded to the Virgin Mary among Roman Catholics. This "hyperdulia" is
not universal to all Catholics.
The usefulness of prayer on behalf of the dead.
Salvation through faith lived out through good works, rather than by faith alone.
Catholicism Sacraments
Traditional
Western Roman Catholic practice consists of seven sacraments. Among
Catholics of Eastern traditions (especially the Orthodox), there is no
fixed number, although all of the following are considered sacraments:
Baptism,
Confirmation, called Chrismation in Eastern Churches, which administer it immediately following Baptism,
Eucharist,
Penance and Reconciliation,
Anointing of the Sick,
Holy Orders, and
Holy Matrimony.
In Roman Catholic teaching, sacraments are gifts of Christ, performed
through the office of the Church, that impart sanctifying grace to the
receiver.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism
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