Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest denomination of Christianity, with around 1.3 billion adherents. == Understand == The Catholic Church defines its faith through the Nicene Creed. It claims that it is the one, holy, catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, that the Pope is the successor of Saint Peter, and that its bishops are successors of Christ's apostles. Christianity spread within the late Roman Empire and became the Empire's official religion, and as the Western Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th century AD, the Church remained as a unifying factor for Latin-speaking Europe, in some degree up to the 21st century. The Great Schism of the 11th century separated Catholicism from Orthodox Christianity. The Protestant Reformation that started in the 15th century led to several Protestant denominations breaking with the Pope. The Roman Catholic Church has spread overseas mainly through colonization; in particular the Spanish Empire, the Portuguese Empire and the French Colonial Empire contained territories whose inhabitants are mostly at least nominally Catholic today. The Catholic Church has seven sacraments: that is, sacred liturgical acts held to be instituted by Jesus Christ. Holy Communion is the foremost of these; they also include baptism, confirmation, absolution, matrimony, holy orders, and the anointing of the sick. While most Protestant and Orthodox denominations also carry out these acts, only Communion and baptism tend to have status as sacraments. == Destinations == 1 Vatican City. A city-state within Rome which includes St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. 2 Palais des Papes, Place du Palais des Papes, Avignon, officetourisme@avignon-tourisme.com. A series of Popes ruled in Avignon from this Papal Palace during the 14th century. 3 Lourdes, France. The world's best-known center of Marian pilgrimage. Its springs are thought to have healing powers. 4 Assisi, Italy. The birthplace of St Francis, one of the most famous Catholic saints. 5 Basilica della Santa Casa, Loreto, Italy. 6 Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, Italy. 7 Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, Rome, Italy. 8 Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico City, Mexico, info@catedralmetropolitana.mx. (updated Sep 2025) 9 National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, Aparecida, Brazil. (updated Sep 2025) 10 Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City, Mexico. (updated Sep 2025) 11 Toledo Cathedral, Toledo, Spain. (updated Sep 2025) 12 Aachen Cathedral, Aachen, Germany. (updated Sep 2025) 13 Fátima, Portugal. (updated Sep 2025) 14 Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. (updated Sep 2025) == Pilgrimage == Since ancient times, pilgrimage is a well-known Catholic rite. The Via Maria and Camino de Santiago are famous routes. == See also == Carnival, originally a Catholic festival before Lent Grand Tour, an educational journey of Early Modern Europe in which Rome was an important destination Robert Langdon tourism, featuring Dan Brown's fictional mystery solver