Catholic Beliefs

If we think about Catholicism, what will enter our mind is the Roman Catholic Church. Below is some information that deals with the belief of Christianity:

• Christianity

Christianity is simply known as the belief of Christ’s teachings. There are many branches and faith of Christianity as it has been divided to many categories. Along the generations, there have been a lot of related religions that have stemmed from Christianity. Although they can be different from each other, they are all of the belief of Christ. One of the major regions of Christianity is Catholicism. Catholics believe in the Eucharist and their confessional practices are organized in the nature of Christ.

• Eucharist

Catholics have a unique way in using the Eucharist. They believe that it is actually the body of Christ, as well as Christ’s body. Other religions believe use the Eucharist but just as a metaphor for the body of Christ. Catholics insist that it is the body of Jesus Christ and that it is consecrated by a priest whom acts like Jesus.

• Confession

Just like the other Christians, Catholics believe in the work of confession. By confessing to God all about your faults, He will forgive you. But with Catholics, you are confessing to a priest. It is because they are like the Jesus Christ of today. People are to confess to a priest in a small area where each one does not exactly see the other, but they talk in such a secluded way where only two of them are present. After that, the priest wills the person who confesses and forgives his sins. The priest is given this power because he does exactly what god does.

• Priesthood

Catholicism has the largest of all hierarchy. The highest of the group is the Pope, followed by his cardinals, bishops and patriarchs. They are the people who head the church, together with the different branches. Priests are to devote their life inside the church, and not be married. It will take a lot of studying of theology before one can finally be a priest.

• Papacy

The Pope is the leader of the Catholic Church. According to tradition, the position of Pope traces itself back to Peter, one of Christ's apostles. As of 2009, the Pope is Benedict XVI. The Pope leads the Church by establishing certain kinds of dogma and hails the last word on church doctrine. The Pope can exercise papal infallibility, meaning that he can declare something to be the will of the Church and, by virtue of his position, cannot even possibly be wrong. It has only been used once since its inception.