Introduction The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.378 billion baptized Catholics worldwide 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 Papal conclave of 2005 was convened due to the death of
Pope John Paul II on April 2, 2005. After his death, the
cardinals who were in
Rome met and set a date for the beginning of the
conclave to elect John Paul's successor. The conclave began on April 18, 2005 and ended on the following day after four
ballots. Eligible members of the
College of Cardinals of the
Roman Catholic Church (those who were less than 80 years of age at the time of the death of Pope John Paul II) met and elected Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as the new Pope. After accepting his election, he took the
regnal name
Pope Benedict XVI.Proceedings on April 18 consisted of a morning
Mass for the Election of the Roman
Pontiff (
Latin Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice). In the afternoon the Cardinal
electors assembled in the Hall of Blessings in
St Peter's Basilica and from there went in solemn
procession to the
Sistine Chapel, where, after the singing of the hymn
Veni Creator Spiritus, each Cardinal took the prescribed oath.
Selected image
 Credit:
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, self-portrait
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598 – 1680) was an Italian artist who worked principally in Rome. He was the leading sculptor of his age and a prominent figure in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture. He was a successor to Michelangelo as the architect of Saint Peter's Basilica; his design of the Piazza San Pietro in front of the Basilica is one of his most innovative and successful architectural designs. Selected biography
 John Chrysostom (349– ca. 407,
Greek: Ιωάννης ο Χρυσόστομος,
Latin: Ioannes Chrysostomos) was the
archbishop of
Constantinople. He is known for his eloquence in
preaching and
public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his
ascetic sensibilities. After his death (or, according to some sources, during his life) he was given the
Greek surname chrysostomos, meaning "golden mouthed", rendered in
English as Chrysostom.The
Orthodox Church and
Eastern Catholic Churches honor him as a
saint (
feast days:
November 13 and
January 27) and count him among the
Three Holy Hierarchs (feast day,
January 30), together with Saints
Basil the Great and
Gregory the Theologian. He is recognized by the
Roman Catholic Church as a saint and a
Doctor of the Church.
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