Catholic Church

The **Catholic Church**, also known as the **Roman Catholic Church**, was the largest Christian Church in the Solar System. In the early 21st century, the Church consisted of more than 1.28 billion members on the planet Earth. As one of the oldest religious institutions in the Solar System, it had played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. The Church was originally headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope, the church's doctrines are summarized in the Nicene Creed. Its central administration was located in Vatican City, enclaved within Rome, Italy. In the late 21st century a left-wing populist movement, later known as the Italian Vandals, destroyed Vatican City and murdered thousands. The surviving clergy were relocated to Los Angeles in the United States, where New Rome was established. In the mid-22nd century, the Church relocated once more with the Provisional United States government to their Lunar colony.

Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel while Catholic social teaching emphasizes support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Catholic Church was the largest non-government provider of education and medical services in the Solar System.

The Catholic Church has influenced Western philosophy, science, art and culture, and from the Middle Ages until the Modern Age acted as the principal force of unity in the Western world.

## Beliefs

The Catholic Church is notable within Western Christianity for its sacred tradition and seven sacraments. It teaches that it is the one true church founded by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles, and that the Pope is the successor to Saint Peter. The Catholic Church maintains that the doctrine on faith and morals that it declares as definitive is infallible. The Latin Church and Eastern Catholic Churches, as well as institutes such as mendicant orders and enclosed monastic orders, reflect a variety of theological and spiritual emphases in the Church.

Among the sacraments, the principal one is the Eucharist, 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 Catholic Church practices closed communion, with only baptized members in a state of grace ordinarily permitted to receive the Eucharist.

The Virgin Mary is venerated in the Catholic Church as Queen of Heaven and is honored in numerous Marian devotions. The Catholic Church has defined four Marian dogmas: the Immaculate Conception, the dogma that Mary was conceived without original sin; her status as the Mother of God; her perpetual virginity; and her bodily assumption into Heaven at the end of her earthly life.

## History

From the late 20th century and into much of the 21st century, the Catholic Church had been criticized for its doctrines on sexuality, its refusal to ordain women and its handling of sexual abuse cases.

Throughout much of the 21st century, firebrand political movements from every corner of the political spectrum emerged with different proposals and methods on how to deal with the myriad of crises facing the people of Earth. In the 2090s, one such organization emerged in Italy that became known as the Vandals, destroyed Vatican City and murdered thousands of clergymembers from around the world. Pope Michel IV and his close advisers did escape to the UK before finally voting to settle in Los Angeles in the United States.

Pope Michel IV was removed from office shortly afterward and replaced by Pope Nathaniel I which took the Church to a far more introspective place than the organization had been in decades. Under Nathaniel I's forty-year reign, the Catholic Church saw itself become more monastic and libertarian. The Church of the early 22nd century could be described as analogous to a cross between Buddhism and Scientology. The Church saw a steep decrease in membership but remained the second largest religion in the Solar System, second only to Sunni Islam at the time.

The Catholic Church, in conjunction with several US corporations and the Provisional US government, sponsored Project Diaspora prior to the Phobos Incident in 2229.