What is a papal conclave?
The papal conclave is the gathering of the College of Cardinals to choose a new Pope for the Roman Catholic Church. The College of Cardinals is the collective body of all cardinals around the world. In order to prevent political interference, deadlocks, and intrigue, qualifying cardinals are secluded in an area of the Vatican consisting…
Does the Bible teach the celibacy of priests?
This is an interesting question to answer, as the Bible does not even teach that there are to be “priests” in the New Covenant established by Christ. Please read our articles on the “priesthood of believers” and “confession of sin to a priest” for more information. The Bible addresses the celibacy of church leaders, but…
What is the Holy See?
The term “Holy See” is from the Latin Sancta Sedes, meaning “holy chair.” It is said that the Holy See is the jurisdiction in Rome of the Catholic Church. In other words, it is similar to a government, which is not surprising considering that the Vatican is its own country and has its own money…
Is papal infallibility biblical?
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the pope is infallible when he speaks from his position of authority on a particular issue or doctrine (speaking ex cathedra). Many misunderstand “papal infallibility” as indicating that everything the pope says is infallible. This is not what the Roman Catholic Church means by “papal infallibility.” According to the…
What is the Vatican / Vatican City?
The word Vatican is from the Latin vaticanus, which means “hill.” The Vatican is the palace in Vatican City that is used as the official residence of the pope and the administrative center of the papacy. The term Vatican also refers to the authority and jurisdiction of the Pope. The Vatican is a government unto…
What is the Donation of Constantine?
The Donation of Constantine, also called the Constitutum Constantini, was a document used during the Middle Ages to support papal authority and land rights. Written about AD 750 to 800, it claims to be a record of Emperor Constantine’s conversion testimony and his interactions with Sylvester I, a bishop of Rome regarded as pope in…
What was Unam Sanctum?
Unam Sanctum (which means “Holy One” in Latin) was an edict issued by Pope Boniface VIII in 1302 that gave extreme authority to the papal office. In this Unam Sanctum document, called a papal bull, Pope Boniface declared the supremacy of the Pope, asserted the necessity for absolute obedience to papal decrees as a requirement…
What is a diocese? What is an archdiocese?
A diocese is a jurisdiction of a bishop or pastor. People within a certain diocese fall under the pastoral care of the bishop of that district. Originally, the Roman Empire was divided into dioceses, which were areas of land, so divided for administrative purposes. When Christianity became the official Roman religion, each diocese was appointed…
Is the pope the Vicar of Christ?
The term “vicar” comes from the Latin word vicarius, which means “instead of.” In the Catholic Church, the vicar is the representative of a higher-ranking official, with all of the same authority and power that that official has. Calling the pope the “Vicar of Christ” implies that he has the same power and authority that…
What is the history of the Catholic Church?
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that it began when the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:8; 2:1–13). Yet many of the doctrines that define Catholicism developed much later. For example, the office of the pope, the practice of praying the rosary, and doctrines like…