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Introduction TheCatholic Church (Latin:Ecclesia Catholica), also known as theRoman Catholic Church, is thelargest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billionbaptized Catholicsworldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions and has played a prominent role in the history and development ofWestern civilization. The church consists of 24sui iuris (autonomous) churches, including theLatin Church and 23Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500dioceses andeparchiesaround the world, each overseen by one or morebishops. Thepope, who is the bishop of Rome, is thechief pastor of the church. The core beliefs ofCatholicism are found in theNicene Creed. The Catholic Church teaches that it is theone, holy, catholic and apostolic church founded byJesus Christ in hisGreat Commission, that itsbishops are thesuccessors of Christ'sapostles, and that the pope is thesuccessor ofSaint Peter, upon whomprimacy was conferred by Jesus Christ. It maintains that it practises the original Christian faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faithinfallibly throughscripture andsacred tradition as authentically interpreted through themagisterium or teaching office of the church. TheRoman Rite andothers of the Latin Church, theEastern Catholic liturgies, and communities and societies such asmendicant orders,enclosed monastic orders,third orders and voluntary charitable layassociations reflect avariety oftheological andspiritual emphases in the church. Of itsseven sacraments, theEucharist is the principal one, celebratedliturgically in theMass. The church teaches that throughconsecration by apriest, the sacrificialbread andwine become thebody and blood of Christ. TheVirgin Mary isvenerated as thePerpetual Virgin,Mother of God, andQueen of Heaven; she is honoured indogmas anddevotions.Catholic social teaching emphasizes voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through thecorporal 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 ofeducation and health care in the world. Among its other social services are numerous charitable and humanitarian organizations. (Full article...) Selected article  Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded onAll Saints' Day November 1, 1776 bySpanishCatholics of theFranciscan Order. Named for a 15th-centurytheologian and "warrior priest" who resided in theAbruzzo region ofItaly, San Juan Capistrano has the distinction of being home to the oldest building in California still in use, achapel built in 1782; known alternately as "Serra's Chapel" and "Father Serra's Church," it is the only extant structure wherein it has been documented that thepadre officiated overmass. One of the best known of the Alta California missions (and one of the few missions to have actually been founded twice — others beingMission San Gabriel Arcángel andMission La Purísima Concepción) — the site was originally consecrated on October 30, 1775 by Father Fermín Lasuén, but was quickly abandoned due to unrest among the indigenous population in San Diego. Selected image  Credit:Raffaello Sanzio The School of Athens or "Scuola di Atene" inItalian is one of the most famouspaintings by theItalian Renaissance artistRaphael. It was painted between 1509 and 1510 as a part of Raphael's commission to decorate withfrescoes the rooms that are now known as theStanze di Raffaello, in theApostolic Palace in theVatican. Selected biography  Mother Teresa (Albanian:Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu;Albanian pronunciation:[ˈaɡnɛsˈɡɔndʒabɔˈjadʒu]) (August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997) was anAlbanianRoman Catholicnun who founded theMissionaries of Charity inKolkata (Calcutta),India in 1950. For over forty years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity's expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries. By the 1970s she had become internationally famed as ahumanitarian and advocate for the poor and helpless, due in part to adocumentary, and book,Something Beautiful for God byMalcolm Muggeridge. She won theNobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work. Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity continued to expand, and at the time of her death it was operating 610 missions in 123 countries, including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children's and family counseling programs, orphanages, and schools. Did you know... 
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