Biblical Studies/Christianity/Roman Catholicism

Introduction and Statistics The name "Roman Catholicism" denotes the beliefs of those Christians who are in communion with the Pope who, as the successor of St Peter as Bishop of Rome, has primacy among all the bishops. Such Christians may be termed "Roman Catholics" or simply "Catholics". Historically speaking, the word "Catholic" has always been applied to the Church (it means "universal") and "Roman" goes before it to emphasise both the primacy of the Pope and continuity with the teachings of Jesus Christ and his apostles. According to the 2006 Annuario Pontificio, the official yearbook of the Vatican, the membership of the Catholic Church was approximately 1,098,000,000 in 2004. There were 405,891 priests, 32,324 permanent deacons, and 113,044 seminarians when the data was compiled . Include statistics of cardinals, bishops, episcopal sees, religious, parishes. Hierarchy of the Catholic Church /Doctrines/ /Sacraments/ Moral Teachings and Requirements /Prayers and Sacramentals/ Liturgies of the Church, the Mass, and articles appropriate to the Mass History of the Catholic Church and Biographies of the Saints /Other Topics/