The Catholic Church
The Catholic Church is a religious organization that was founded in Rome in 1231.
The Catholic Church continues to be one of the oldest Christian religious entities in existence. Associated with the Orthodox Church, from which the Catholic Church separated in 1054 because of a formal schism over issues such as papal authority and theological disagreements, such as those over the doctrinal formulation of the “filioque,” the Catholic Church distinguishes itself by its commitment to the ancient Christian tradition, as opposed to the Orthodox Church. Consequently, there is a significant difference between, for instance, the Catholic Church and Protestantism. In comparison to the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, the latter is a comparatively modern movement, having been established by Martin Luther as a response to what he perceived to be excessive papal authority and, as a result, a perversion of the original message of the Church.
Because of this, in a contemporary American setting, the Protestant church has surpassed all others in terms of popularity among those who are descended from Protestant families in number. As such, the Catholic Church represents a more ancient form of religion, whereas Protestantism encourages individual interpretation of Christian faith, resulting in the diverse forms we see in contemporary America today, the majority of which cannot even be considered Christian from a strict doctrinal standpoint, because they represent religious institutions entirely conditioned by contemporary society, such as the phenomenon of the so-called “mega-church.” Such distinctions are important to keep in mind when taking a broader sociologico-empirical look at the Catholic Church, because, as previously stated, the Protestant image of Christianity is the dominant image, and the Catholic Church, in contrast, represents a more traditional form of Christian faith.
When visiting a Catholic Church, however, it is clear that much of its historic and revered essence has been lost………. As an example, a visitor to a Catholic Church will not be confronted with the recitation of the liturgy in Latin, as had been the custom from the beginning of the Western Church, because Catholicism, during the Second Vatican Council, strove to modernize the Church. A side effect of this modernity was that the liturgy was read in the language of the country or community where the Church was located instead of Latin, which was the traditional language. There were elements of this tradition in both the Protestant and the Orthodox traditions, and as a result of this tradition, the Catholic Church lost much of its exclusivity and distinctiveness in comparison to the Protestant and Orthodox traditions.
When a person enters a Catholic church for the first time, they are reminded of this. Indeed, the design of some Catholic churches reflects the origins of the Church in Rome, as well as its conventional beginnings in a Latin and Western European context, and this is a beautiful thing to see. Nonetheless, many modern Catholic churches, including one that I have visited, are virtually indistinguishable from a Protestant church from the exterior. It has been demonstrated via research into the historic architecture of Catholic Churches as well as the churches’ contemporary, primarily American forms that major alterations in the way the Church wishes to portray itself to the public have taken place.
The imagery of the Church, on the other hand, has remained mostly unchanged over the centuries. The existence of music performed in English, frequently in somewhat modern forms that imply the Protestant American interpretation of the faith, does not appear to be wholly Catholic, to say the least. Nonetheless, part of the imagery of the Church serves to remind us of this fundamental Catholic duty. To give an example, the clothing of the clergy is explicitly Catholic, with no equivalent in Orthodoxy or Protestantism. In spite of the modernisation of the Church, this attire reflects the old ties that unite people to Rome and the Roman Catholic tradition. Despite the shift in vocabulary, the symbolism remains the same, with a strong emphasis on the Crucifixion as well as the Virgin Mary, the latter of whom receives special attention in the Catholic Church tradition. As a result, despite the aforementioned modifications, symbolism in the Catholic Church can be seen to have remained explicitly Catholic in character. One more obvious manifestation of this traditionalism is the gender of the clergy, which is totally male in accordance with historical practice.
One of the most noticeable qualities of the Catholic Church, on the other hand, is the wide range of backgrounds represented among its adherents. There are churches all over the world, and the Church’s congregation reflects this global reach. Latinos and other minorities are also represented, as are members of all Caucasian races and ethnicities. In the past, Catholicism had a significant global impact, and this reflects that influence now. But at the same time, this highlights the good effects that a shared faith can have on a varied, multinational population by bringing them together around a common message. In this way, a visit to the current Catholic Church demonstrates that the universal message has not changed, despite the changes that have occurred inside Catholicism.
