We all know perfectly well what Catholicism is and how this doctrine of Christianity has become the religion with the most followers worldwide , but do you know its origins and history?
In the next paragraphs we will try to delve into the origins of Catholicism and the foundations that have led to the recognition of Christ worldwide, ensuring that 2000 years after his death his spirit and legacy continue to be kept alive.
Difference Between Christianity and Catholicism
Before getting into the subject, it is convenient to make a small nuance to understand the difference between these two terms, which many people confuse and which allude to different things.
Christianity is the religion that bases its faith on the teachings of Christ and encompasses various churches that, while based on Jesus of Nazareth, have different interpretations of how to follow the doctrine. To learn more about this, you can visit the article on the different types of Christianity that exist.
Catholicism, therefore, is a branch of Christianity , whose highest authority is the Pope, and whose seat is in Vatican City. The Catholic Church has the most adherents within Christianity.
Origins and history of Catholicism
We know full well that the history of Christianity begins with Jesus Christ's ascension into heaven . It is precisely at that moment that the teachings he disseminated during his life begin to spread through his disciples.
However, religion struggled to gain prominence in its early centuries, as it was prohibited by the Roman Empire. It wasn't until 380 AD that Emperor Theodosius made it the official religion , finally solidifying its position as a dominant belief. To understand this process, you can explore more about religion in general.
The point is that in a more or less stable way, the Christian religion remained unchanged throughout the Middle Ages, with the exception of the Great Schism, which produced a division between the Eastern and Western Churches in the XNUMXth century.
But the big change, without any doubt, came with the Modern Age or, more specifically if possible, in the XNUMXth century. Although curiously it was the century in which the Christian religion achieved expansion into a new territory such as America, it was also the most turbulent century internally in its entire history.
Among the many causes that led to the internal division of Christianity, one figure stands out above the rest: Martin Luther . This German philosopher and theologian expressed his disagreement with certain actions of the Church and sparked the emergence of a Protestant movement to correct them.
The ideas promulgated by Luther spread, largely thanks to the fact that in the previous century the printing press was invented precisely in Germany, and more and more people shared his thoughts and opposed the papacy.
The magnitude of the problem for the Church was such that, despite not having paid much attention at first, it was forced to respond officially to Protestantism with the so-called Counter-Reformation , which aimed to renew the image of the doctrine and prevent the consolidation of the different Churches that were being formed.
The Counter-Reformation began in 1545 with the Council of Trent , but it spanned over 100 years, during which there were even significant armed conflicts. You can learn more about confession and its importance within this history.
With the Counter-Reformation we can say that Catholicism , as we know it today, was officially born , clearly differentiating itself from the other Protestant doctrines that were gaining ground in Central Europe and the British Isles.
Already with the arrival of the Contemporary Age, the Catholic Church regained ground in many of the countries that adopted Protestant ideas, but was again affected by a historical event, in this case the French Revolution.
Christianity was even banned in France at the end of the 18th century , during one of the worst periods the Catholic religion has experienced in the country. The arrival of Napoleon, initially an ally of the Catholic Church, also had significant consequences, as he occupied Rome and assumed sovereignty over the Papal States until his fall in 1815.
Curiosities of Catholicism
We've already discussed some interesting facts, such as Catholicism being the world's largest religion with nearly 1300 billion followers, but here are some other curiosities that we're sure will surprise you even more:
- The three largest Catholic temples in the world are: Saint Peter's in the Vatican, the Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida (Brazil) and the Cathedral of Seville (Spain), in that order.
- There are more than 10.000 saints who have been recognized by the Catholic Church throughout its history.
- Almost half of the priests of the Catholic Church (44%) exercise their functions in Europe. The second continent with the most presence is America (16%), and the one with the least presence is Oceania (1%).
- The Midnight Mass that is celebrated on December 24 on the eve of Christmas Eve receives such a peculiar name because at the origin of this liturgy, in the XNUMXth century, it used to be done “at the crowing of the rooster”, that is, at midnight.
