Catholic Church

Definition

The largest Christian church, led by the Pope, based in Vatican City. It has played a powerful role throughout global history, influencing religion, politics, art and culture.

Analogy

Think of the Catholic Church as a major movie studio. Just like a studio produces films (doctrine) that are distributed and watched worldwide, the Catholic Church disseminates its teachings globally through its network of churches.

Related terms

Papacy: The office or authority of the Pope as head of the Catholic Church.

Reformation: A movement in 16th-century Europe aimed at reforming some doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church and resulting in the establishment of Protestant churches.

Crusades: A series of religious wars initiated and supported by Latin Church in medieval period with goal to recover Holy Land from Islamic rule.