The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Catholic Church:

Catholicism – largest denomination of Christianity. Catholicism encompasses the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole.

Nature of Catholicism Catholicism can be described as all of the following:

a religious denomination a denomination of Christianity the Catholic Church

Geography of the Catholic Church

Vatican City Catholic Church by country Global organisation of the Catholic Church

History of the Catholic Church

History of the Catholic Church – the church says that its bishops are the successors to the Apostles of Jesus, and that the Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope, is the sole successor to Saint Peter, who is believed to have been appointed head of the church in the New Testament and who is said to have ministered in Rome. History of the Papacy – The history of the papacy, the office held by the pope as head of the Catholic Church, spans from the time of Saint Peter to present day. Outline of the Catholic ecumenical councils – Catholic Ecumenical Councils include 21 councils over a period of 1700 years. While definitions changed throughout history, in today's Roman Catholic understanding Ecumenical Councils are assemblies of Patriarchs, Cardinals, residing Bishops, Abbots, male heads of religious orders and other juridical persons, nominated by the Roman Pontiff.

Origins and Early Christianity Jesus – Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC/BCE to 30–36 AD/CE), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus the Christ or simply Christ, is the central figure of Christianity. Apostles in the New Testament – The Christian apostles were sent out to convey the message of the good news of Jesus Christ. Early Christianity – Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325.

Late Antiquity Constantine I – When Constantine became emperor of the Western Roman Empire in 312, attributing his victory to the Christian God, he legalized the practice of Christianity Theodosius I – Made Nicene Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire in 380. First seven Ecumenical Councils – from the First Council of Nicaea (325) to the Second Council of Nicaea (787), represent an attempt to reach an orthodox consensus and to establish a unified Christendom as the State church of the Roman Empire.

Middle Ages

Early Middle Ages Decline of the Roman Empire – in 476, Rome fell. Rule of St. Benedict – written by Benedict in 530 AD Cathedral schools – begin in 500's. Mission (Christianity) – Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups (called "missionaries"), to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. Augustine of Canterbury – missionary to the Anglo-Saxons Hiberno-Scottish mission – a mission led by Irish and Scottish monks which spread Christianity and established monasteries in Great Britain and continental Europe during the Middle Ages. Charlemagne – also known as Charles the Great was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814.

High Middle Ages Cluniac reform – began in 910 and placed abbots under the direct control of the pope rather than the secular control of feudal lords. East-West schism – sometimes known as the Great Schism, formally divided the State church of the Roman Empire into Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) branches, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, respectively. Crusades – a series of religious expeditionary wars blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church, with the stated goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem. Romanesque architecture – massive walls, rounded arches and ceilings of masonry. Gothic architecture – large windows and high, pointed arches, improved lighting and geometric harmony in a manner that was intended to direct the worshiper's mind to God who "orders all things". new monastic orders – Catharism – a Christian religious movement with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. Medieval Inquisition – a series of Inquisitions (Catholic Church bodies charged with suppressing heresy) from around 1184, including the Episcopal Inquisition (1184-1230s) and later the Papal Inquisition (1230s). Avignon Papacy – the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. Western Schism – a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope.

Renaissance and Reforms

Reformation Council of Constance – Council of Basel – Protestant Reformation – The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century schism within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants sparked by the 1517 posting of Luther's Ninety-five theses. The Ninety Five Theses – the 95 theses of Martin Luther Thirty years war – French wars of religion – Counter-Reformation – The Counter-Reformation (also the Catholic Revival or Catholic Reformation) was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.

Baroque period Ottoman Wars in Europe – Ottoman Empire conquers the Byzantine Empire Age of Enlightenment – questioned Christianity as a whole; elevated human reason above divine revelation and down-graded religious authorities such as the papacy based on it. Jansenism – emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. Gallicanism – the belief that popular civil authority over the Catholic Church is comparable to that of the Pope's. Councilarism – a reform movement in the 14th, 15th and 16th century Roman Catholic Church which held that final authority in spiritual matters resided with the Roman Church as a corporation of Christians, embodied by a general church council, not with the pope.

Industrial Age First Vatican Council – convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. It met in the Vatican Basilica, hence its name of First Vatican Council. Its best-known decision is its definition of papal infallibility. Rerum novarum – an open letter, passed to all Catholic bishops, that addressed the condition of the working classes. Quadragesimo anno – discusses the ethical implications of the social and economic order. He describes the major dangers for human freedom and dignity arising from unrestrained capitalism and totalitarian communism. Catholic social teaching – a body of doctrine developed by the Catholic Church on matters of poverty and wealth, economics, social organization and the role of the state. Roman Catholic Mariology – theology concerned with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ as developed by the Catholic Church. World War II – Mit brennender Sorge – a Catholic Church encyclical of Pope Pius XI, published on 10 March 1937 (but bearing a date of Passion Sunday, 14 March). Written in German, not the usual Latin, it was read from the pulpits of all German Catholic churches on one of the Church's busiest Sundays (Palm Sunday). It condemned breaches of the Reichskonkordat agreement signed between the Nazi government and the Church in 1933, and furthermore contained criticism of Nazism and, in the opinion of some, a veiled attack on Hitler. Holocaust – the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, throughout Nazi-occupied territory. Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust – The relationship between Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust has long been disputed.

Post-Industrial Age

Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) – addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Sacrosanctum Concilium – Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, called for more "full, conscious, and active participation' by the laity in the Mass. Lumen gentium – Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council. As is customary with significant Roman Catholic Church documents, it is known by its first words, "Lumen gentium", Latin for "Light of the Nations". Subsistit in – Subsistit in (subsists in) is a Latin phrase, which appears in the eighth paragraph of Lumen Gentium, a landmark document of the Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church: Nostra aetate – Nostra Aetate (Latin: In our Age) is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI. Dei verbum – Dei verbum on Sacred Scripture was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 18, 1965, following approval by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,344 to 6. Gaudium et spes – Gaudium et Spes on the Church in the modern world is an updating of the Catholic Church's teachings about humanity's relationship to society, especially in reference to economics, poverty, social justice, culture, science, technology and ecumenism.

Catholic Church hierarchy

Catholic Church hierarchy – the Catholic Church is composed of dioceses, each overseen by a bishop. Dioceses are divided into individual communities called parishes, each staffed by one or more priests. Priests may be assisted by deacons. Pope – The Pope (a child's word for father) is the Bishop of Rome and the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church. Cardinal (Catholicism) – A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. Patriarchs – Originally, a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. Major archbishops – In the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop is a title for an hierarch to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous (sui juris) particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in his. Primate (bishop) – Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Metropolitan bishop – In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop (then more precisely called metropolitan archbishop) of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital. Archbishops – An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest (presbyter), and bishop. Bishop (Catholic Church) – In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, and sanctifying the world and for representing the Church. Priest (Catholic Church) – The ministerial orders of the Roman Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood (or priesthood of all the baptized) are different in function and essence. Deacon – The diaconate (deacons) is one of the major orders in the Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches.

Doctrine

Theology