Introduction The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.39 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2022. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. The church consists of 24 sui iuris churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies located around the world. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church. The Diocese of Rome, known as the Holy See, is the central governing authority of the church. The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia, has its principal offices in Vatican City, a small independent city-state and enclave within the Italian capital city of Rome, of which the pope is head of state. The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles, and that the pope is the successor to Saint Peter, upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ. It maintains that it practises the original Christian faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faith infallibly through scripture and sacred tradition as authentically interpreted through the magisterium of the church. The Roman Rite and others of the Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic liturgies, and institutes such as mendicant orders, enclosed monastic orders and third orders reflect a variety of theological and spiritual emphases in the church. Of its seven sacraments, the Eucharist is the principal one, celebrated liturgically in the Mass. The church teaches that through consecration by a priest, the sacrificial bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The Virgin Mary is venerated as the Perpetual Virgin, Mother of God, and Queen of Heaven; she is honoured in dogmas and devotions. Catholic social teaching emphasizes voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Catholic Church operates tens of thousands of Catholic schools, universities and colleges, hospitals, and orphanages around the world, and is the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world. Among its other social services are numerous charitable and humanitarian organizations. ( Full article...) Selected article
 The First Crusade was launched in
1095 by
Pope Urban II with the dual goals of liberating the sacred city of
Jerusalem and the
Holy Land from
Muslims and freeing the
Eastern Christians from Muslim rule. What started as an appeal by
Byzantine Emperor
Alexios I Komnenos for western mercenaries to fight the
Seljuk Turks in
Anatolia quickly turned into a wholesale Western
migration and conquest of territory outside of
Europe.Both
knights and peasants from many nations of
Western Europe travelled over land and by sea towards Jerusalem and captured the city in July 1099, establishing the
Kingdom of Jerusalem and other
Crusader states. Although these gains lasted for less than two hundred years, the First Crusade was a major turning point in the expansion of
Western power, as well as the first major step towards reopening international trade in the West since the fall of the
Western Roman Empire.
Selected image
 Credit: Blieusong The façade of Notre-Dame de Paris, showing the Portal of the Virgin, Portal of the Last Judgment and Portal of St-Anne. Selected biography
 Henry de Lichton (de Lychtone, Leighton) (d. 1440), was a medieval
Scottish
prelate and diplomat, who, serving as
Bishop of Moray (1414–1422) and
Bishop of Aberdeen (1422–1440), became a significant patron of the church, a
cathedral builder and a writer. He also served King
James I of Scotland as a diplomat in
England,
France and
Italy. He was born in the
diocese of Brechin (probably
Angus) somewhere between 1369 and 1379 to Henry and Janet Lichton. He was exceptionally well educated for his time, attending the
University of Orléans and possibly the
University of St Andrews, earning
licentiates in
civil law and
canon law, a
bachelorate in canon law and a
doctorate in canon law, all achieved between 1394 and 1415; he attained an additional doctorate — in civil law — by 1436. Lichton followed an ecclesiastical career simultaneously with his studies. The first notice of this career comes in 1392, when he was
vicar of
Markinch in
Fife, a vicariate of
St Andrews Cathedral Priory.
Did you know...
Related portalsFeast Day of May 1
Selected quote
News
SubcategoriesTopics
The Holy Bible:
Particular Churches (grouped by liturgical rite):
History:
Christian Theology:
Things you can do
External resourcesWikiProjectsAssociated WikimediaThe following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
Discover Wikipedia using
portals |
.jpg)
.svg)
IntroductionThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.39 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2022. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. The church consists of 24 sui iuris churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies located around the world. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church. The Diocese of Rome, known as the Holy See, is the central governing authority of the church. The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia, has its principal offices in Vatican City, a small independent city-state and enclave within the Italian capital city of Rome, of which the pope is head of state. The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles, and that the pope is the successor to Saint Peter, upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ. It maintains that it practises the original Christian faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faith infallibly through scripture and sacred tradition as authentically interpreted through the magisterium of the church. The Roman Rite and others of the Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic liturgies, and institutes such as mendicant orders, enclosed monastic orders and third orders reflect a variety of theological and spiritual emphases in the church. Of its seven sacraments, the Eucharist is the principal one, celebrated liturgically in the Mass. The church teaches that through consecration by a priest, the sacrificial bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The Virgin Mary is venerated as the Perpetual Virgin, Mother of God, and Queen of Heaven; she is honoured in dogmas and devotions. Catholic social teaching emphasizes voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Catholic Church operates tens of thousands of Catholic schools, universities and colleges, hospitals, and orphanages around the world, and is the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world. Among its other social services are numerous charitable and humanitarian organizations. ( Full article...) Selected article
The First Crusade was launched in
1095 by
Pope Urban II with the dual goals of liberating the sacred city of
Jerusalem and the
Holy Land from
Muslims and freeing the
Eastern Christians from Muslim rule. What started as an appeal by
Byzantine Emperor
Alexios I Komnenos for western mercenaries to fight the
Seljuk Turks in
Anatolia quickly turned into a wholesale Western
migration and conquest of territory outside of
Europe.Both
knights and peasants from many nations of
Western Europe travelled over land and by sea towards Jerusalem and captured the city in July 1099, establishing the
Kingdom of Jerusalem and other
Crusader states. Although these gains lasted for less than two hundred years, the First Crusade was a major turning point in the expansion of
Western power, as well as the first major step towards reopening international trade in the West since the fall of the
Western Roman Empire.
Selected image
Credit: Blieusong The façade of Notre-Dame de Paris, showing the Portal of the Virgin, Portal of the Last Judgment and Portal of St-Anne. Selected biography
Henry de Lichton (de Lychtone, Leighton) (d. 1440), was a medieval
Scottish
prelate and diplomat, who, serving as
Bishop of Moray (1414–1422) and
Bishop of Aberdeen (1422–1440), became a significant patron of the church, a
cathedral builder and a writer. He also served King
James I of Scotland as a diplomat in
England,
France and
Italy. He was born in the
diocese of Brechin (probably
Angus) somewhere between 1369 and 1379 to Henry and Janet Lichton. He was exceptionally well educated for his time, attending the
University of Orléans and possibly the
University of St Andrews, earning
licentiates in
civil law and
canon law, a
bachelorate in canon law and a
doctorate in canon law, all achieved between 1394 and 1415; he attained an additional doctorate — in civil law — by 1436. Lichton followed an ecclesiastical career simultaneously with his studies. The first notice of this career comes in 1392, when he was
vicar of
Markinch in
Fife, a vicariate of
St Andrews Cathedral Priory.
Did you know...
Related portalsFeast Day of May 1
Selected quote
News
SubcategoriesTopics
The Holy Bible:
Particular Churches (grouped by liturgical rite):
History:
Christian Theology:
Things you can do
External resourcesWikiProjectsAssociated WikimediaThe following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
Discover Wikipedia using
portals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||