Title: Catholic Church - Wikipedia
Headings: Catholic Church
Catholic Church
Contents
Name
History
Apostolic era and papacy
Antiquity and Roman Empire
Middle Ages and Renaissance
Age of Discovery
Protestant Reformation and Counter-Reformation
Enlightenment and modern period
20th century
Second Vatican Council
John Paul II
21st century
Pope Francis
Organisation
Main articles: Hierarchy of the Catholic Church and Catholic Church by country
Holy See, papacy, Roman Curia, and College of Cardinals
Canon law
Latin and Eastern churches
Dioceses, parishes, organisations and institutes
Distribution of Catholics
Membership
Doctrine
Nature of God
Nature of the church
Final judgement
Saints and devotions
Virgin Mary
Sacraments
Sacraments of initiation
Baptism
Confirmation
Eucharist
Sacraments of healing
Penance
Anointing of the sick
Sacraments at the service of communion
Holy Orders
Matrimony
Liturgy
Western rites
Eastern rites
Social and cultural issues
Catholic social teaching
Social services
Sexual morality
Divorce and declarations of nullity
Contraception
Homosexuality
Holy orders and women
Sexual abuse cases
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links

Content: The Catholic Church operates thousands of Catholic schools, 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 organisations. The Catholic Church has influenced Western philosophy, culture, art, music and science. Catholics live all over the world through missions, diaspora, and conversions. Since the 20th century the majority reside in the southern hemisphere, due to secularisation in Europe, and increased persecution in the Middle East. The Catholic Church shared communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church until the East–West Schism in 1054, disputing particularly the authority of the pope. Before the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, the Church of the East also shared in this communion, as did the Oriental Orthodox churches before the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451; all separated primarily over differences in Christology. In the 16th century, the Reformation led to Protestantism also breaking away. From the late 20th century, the Catholic Church has been criticised for its teachings on sexuality, its inability to ordain women, and its handling of sexual abuse cases involving clergy.