The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church,

with more than 1.2 billion members worldwide.[1] It is among the oldest religious institutions in the
world, and has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilisation.[2] The Catholic
hierarchy is headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope. The Catholic Church teaches
that it is the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ,[3][4] that its bishops are the successors of
Christ's apostles and that the Pope is the sole successor to Saint Peter, who has primacy among
the apostles.[5][note 1][6][note 2][note 3] The Church maintains that the doctrine on faith and
morals that it presents as definitive is infallible.[7][8][note 4]
The Catholic Church is Trinitarian and defines its mission as spreading the Gospel of Jesus
Christ,[9] administering the sacraments[10] and exercising charity.[11] Its principal doctrines are
found in the four creeds: the Nicene Creed, the Apostle's Creed, the Athanasian Creed and the
Tridentine Creed.[citation needed] Worship is highly liturgical, focusing on the Mass or Divine
Liturgy in which the sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated and, the Church teaches, bread and
wine become the body and blood of Christ through transubstantiation. The Catholic Church
practises closed communion and only baptised members of the Church deemed to be in a state
of grace are ordinarily permitted to receive the Eucharist.[12] The Latin Church, the autonomous
Eastern Catholic Churches and religious communities such as the Jesuits, Mendicant orders and
enclosed monastic orders reflect the variety of theological emphases within the Church.[13][14]
The Church venerates and holds in special regard Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, and teaches
that through divine intervention 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,[15] her perpetual virginity and her bodily Assumption into Heaven at the end of
her earthly life.[16][note 5] Numerous Marian devotions are also practised.
Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the
corporal works of mercy. The Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of
education and medical services in the world.[17] Catholic spiritual teaching emphasises spread of
the Gospel message and spiritual works of mercy. In recent decades, the Church has been
criticised for its doctrines concerning sexual issues and the ordination of women as well as for its
handling of sexual abuse cas
The Catholic Church is led by clergy who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders. There are
three levels of clergy, the episcopate (bishops), whose members are usually given a geographical
area to lead called a diocese or eparchy; the presbyterate (priests), who usually serve the
bishops by leading local parishes; and the diaconate (deacons), who serve the bishops and
priests in a variety of ministerial roles. Ultimately leading the entire Catholic Church is the Bishop
of Rome, called the Pope. In parallel to the diocesan structure are a variety of religious orders
and institutions that function autonomously, often subject only to the authority of the Pope, though
sometimes subject to the local bishop. Most religious orders only have male or female members
but some have both. Additionally, lay members aid many liturgical functions during worship
services.
he canon law of the Catholic Church is the system of laws and legal principles made and
enforced by the hierarchical authorities of the Church to regulate its external organisation and
government and to order and direct the activities of Catholics toward the mission of the Church.
[35] In the Catholic Church, universal positive ecclesiastical laws, based upon either immutable
divine and natural law, or changeable circumstantial and merely positive law, derive formal
authority and promulgation from the office of pope, who as Supreme Pontiff possesses the totality
of legislative, executive and judicial power in his person.[36] It has all the ordinary elements of a
mature legal system:[37] laws, courts, lawyers, judges,[37] a fully articulated legal code,[38]
principles of legal interpretation[39] and coercive penalties that are limited to moral coercion.[40]

Canon law concerns the Church's life and organisation and is distinct from civil law. In its own
field it gives force to civil law only by specific enactment in matters such as the guardianship of
minors.[41] Similarly, civil law may give force in its field to canon law, but only by specific
enactment, as with regard to canonical marriages.[42] Currently, the 1983 Code of Canon Law is
in effect, primarily for the Latin Church. The distinct 1990 Code of Canons for the Eastern
Churches (CCEO, after the Latin initials) applies to the autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches
mong the 23 autonomous (sui iuris) churches, numerous forms of worship and liturgical traditions
exist, called "rites", which reflect historical and cultural diversity rather than differences in belief.
[62] In the definition of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, "a rite is the liturgical,
theological, spiritual, and disciplinary patrimony, culture and circumstances of history of a distinct
people, by which its own manner of living the faith is manifested in each Church sui iuris",[63] but
the term is often limited to liturgical patrimony. The most commonly used liturgy is the Roman Rite
in its ordinary form, but other rites are in use in the Eastern Catholic Churches and even in the
Latin Church
Ordination
The sacrament of Holy Orders consecrates and deputes some Christians to serve the whole body
as members of three degrees or orders: episcopate (bishops), presbyterate (priests) and
diaconate (deacons).[135][136] The Church has defined rules on who may be ordained into the
clergy. In the Latin Rite, the priesthood and diaconate are generally restricted to celibate men.
[137][138] Men who are already married may be ordained in the Eastern Catholic Churches in
most countries,[139] and the personal ordinariates and may become deacons even in the
Western Church[137][138] (see Clerical marriage). But after becoming a Roman Catholic priest, a
man may not marry (see Clerical celibacy) unless he is formally laicised.
All clergy, whether deacons, priests or bishops, may preach, teach, baptise, witness marriages
and conduct funeral liturgies.[140] Only bishops and priests can administer the sacraments of the
Eucharist, Reconciliation (Penance) and Anointing of the Sick.[141][142] Only bishops can
administer the sacrament of Holy Orders, which ordains someone into the clergy.[143]
Matrimony
Marriage, understood as an indissoluble union between a man and a woman,[144] if entered into
validly by any baptised man and baptised woman, is considered a sacrament by the Catholic
Church.[145] The church does not recognise divorce as ending a valid marriage and allows state
recognised divorce only as a means of protecting children or property, without allowing
remarriage following such a divorce. Apart from the requirements, such as freedom of consent,
that it sees as applicable to all, the church has established certain specific requirements for the
validity of marriages by Catholics.[146] Failure to observe the Church's regulations, as well as
defects applicable to all marriages, may be grounds for a church declaration of the invalidity of a
marriage, a declaration usually referred to as an annulment.[147]