A Catholic marriage, or any marriage between baptised individuals of any Christian denomination, is viewed as a sacrament. [154] Baptism marks a person permanently and cannot be repeated.

[6][7] The Catholic Church in France is organised into 98 dioceses, which in 2012 were served by 7,000 sub-75 priests. [267][268] The Catholic Church considers the Bishop of Rome, the pope, to be the successor to Saint Peter. A Crusade also took place on French territory in the County of Toulouse (contemporary Languedoc) with the Albigensian Crusade in the 13th century, called by Pope Innocent III. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Laïcité, absolute neutrality of the state with respect to religious doctrine, is the official policy of the French Republic.

[317] The English Reformation during the reign of Henry VIII began as a political dispute. Apostolic Constitution of Pope Benedict XVI: A summary and restatement of the debate is available in Roderick Hindery. [149] It washes away all sins, both original sin and personal actual sins. ", Le Goff, p. 14: "Thus what should have been a religious bond was, on the contrary, a subject of discord and sparked off bitter conflicts between Arian barbarians and Catholic Romans. The Concordat’s most dramatic step, however, was to bring the Church under the authority of the state. ", The Second Vatican Council Celebrating Its Achievements and the Future page 86, Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, List of Christian denominations by number of members, Veneration of Mary in the Catholic Church, Anointing of the Sick in the Catholic Church, Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites § Eastern rites, Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Christian views on contraception § Catholic Church, Religious response to assisted reproductive technology § Catholicism, oppose the position of the Catholic Church, Ordination of women in the Catholic Church, Declaration on the Question of the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Christianity in the 16th century § Renaissance Church, dominant influence on Western civilisation, Anti-Christian policies in the Roman Empire, Conversion of non-Muslim places of worship into mosques, Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution, Nazi persecution of the Catholic Church in Germany, Polish anti-religious campaign (1945–1990), History of the Catholic Church since 1962, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on 23 November 2006. In the Second World War, the Church condemned Nazism, and protected hundreds of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust; its efforts, however, have been criticised as inadequate. [51], In the 2,000-year history of the church, several complementary expressions of the Christian faith emerged throughout the world, most prominently, the Western and Eastern Christian traditions. All clergy, whether deacons, priests or bishops, may preach, teach, baptise, witness marriages and conduct funeral liturgies. The first nine-year war ended in 1555 with the Peace of Augsburg but continued tensions produced a far graver conflict—the Thirty Years' War—which broke out in 1618. Only some minority traditionalist Catholic groups, such as the Society of St. Pius X, push for the return to the Ancien Régime or at least pre-separation situation, contending that France has forgotten its divine mission as a Christian country (an argument already upheld by the Ultras presenting the 1825 Anti-Sacrilege Act).

Never enforced, this law was repealed in the July Monarchy (1830–1848). [74], Church membership at the end of 2014 was 1.272 billion, which is 17.8% of the world population. The Council of Clermont, a mixed synod of ecclesiastics and laymen led by Pope Urban II in November 1095 at Clermont-Ferrand triggered the First Crusade.

[213][214] Church teaching calls for a preferential option for the poor while canon law prescribes that "The Christian faithful are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor. The first written records of Christians in France date from the 2nd century when Irenaeus detailed the deaths of ninety-year-old bishop Pothinus of Lugdunum (Lyon) and other martyrs of the 177 persecution in Lyon. This final judgement, according to the church's teaching, will bring an end to human history and mark the beginning of both a new and better heaven and earth ruled by God in righteousness.[113]. Although many Catholics were at first opposed to this secular movement, most of them have since changed opinions, finding that this neutrality actually protects their faith from political interference. As of 2008[update], the Catholic Church has 2,795 dioceses.

[99] These are collectively known as the Four Marks of the Church. On Christmas Day 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, forming the political and religious foundations of Christendom and establishing in earnest the French government's longstanding historical association with the Catholic Church.[5].

Established in the 2nd century in unbroken communion with the bishop of Rome, it is sometimes called the "eldest daughter of the church" (French: fille aînée de l'Église). [88], Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is the "Second Person" of the Trinity, God the Son. "[136], The Catholic Church teaches that it was entrusted with seven sacraments that were instituted by Christ. [note 4], The name "Catholic Church" for the whole church is used in the 1990 Catechism of the Catholic Church, the 1983 Code of Canon Law, the documents of the 1962–65 Second Vatican Council, and numerous other official documents.[26][27][28]. [315][316] In Switzerland, Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin and other Protestant Reformers further criticised Catholic teachings. These roles, Brown says, "contributed enormously to seeing the bishop of Rome, the bishop of the city where Peter died, and where Paul witnessed to the truth of Christ, as the successor of Peter in care for the church universal". These are in turn interpreted by the Magisterium (from magister, Latin for "teacher"), the Church's teaching authority, which is exercised by the pope and the College of Bishops in union with the pope, the bishop of Rome. The Sacrament of Penance (also called Reconciliation, Forgiveness, Confession, and Conversion[169]) exists for the conversion of those who, after baptism, separate themselves from Christ by sin. The Essential Catholic Catechism.Servant Publications.

[331] This stand-off, which was spoken of as the Roman Question, was resolved by the 1929 Lateran Treaties, whereby the Holy See acknowledged Italian sovereignty over the former Papal States and Italy recognised papal sovereignty over Vatican City as a new sovereign and independent state.[332].
Following the Fourth Crusade, a period known as the Frankokratia existed where French Latin Catholics took over parts of the Byzantine Empire. Many Renaissance figures were sponsored by the church. [292][293] Through his Rule, Benedict of Nursia (c.480–543), one of the founders of Western monasticism, exerted an enormous influence on European culture through the appropriation of the monastic spiritual heritage of the early Church and, with the spread of the Benedictine tradition, through the preservation and transmission of ancient culture. (The Philippines does, however, allow divorce for Muslims. [citation needed], 2006 Statistics from the Catholic Church in France:[11].

His 27-year pontificate was one of the longest in history. [72], "Religious institutes" is a modern term encompassing both "religious orders" and "religious congregations" which were once distinguished in canon law. According to long-standing legend, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and some companions, who were expelled by persecutions from the Holy Land, traversed the Mediterranean in a frail boat with neither rudder nor mast and landed at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer near Arles. The couple must foster trust and honesty as well as spiritual and physical intimacy.
[130], Devotions are "external practices of piety" which are not part of the official liturgy of the Catholic Church but are part of the popular spiritual practices of Catholics. Mary is held in special regard, declared the Mother of God (Greek: Θεοτόκος, translit. [263] The Catholic Church teaches that its public ministry began on Pentecost, occurring fifty days following the date Christ is believed to have resurrected. [91], The Catholic Church teaches dogmatically that "the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father and the Son, not as from two principles but as from one single principle". Anti-clericalism was popular among Republicans, Radicals, and Socialists, in part because the Church had supported the Counterrevolutionaries throughout the 19th century. ), Westminster Press p. 234, Henry Chadwick (1993), The Early Church, Penguin Books p. 18.

[362] Traditionalist Catholics, such as Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, however, strongly criticised the council, arguing that its liturgical reforms led "to the destruction of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the sacraments", among other issues. [138] The Catechism of the Catholic Church categorises the sacraments into three groups, the "sacraments of Christian initiation", "sacraments of healing" and "sacraments at the service of communion and the mission of the faithful". ", While ruling contraception to be prohibited, Pope Paul VI did, however, consider, Colin Gunton. France is the location of one of the world's major Catholic pilgrim centres at Lourdes. [109] The Church sees its liturgy and sacraments as perpetuating the graces achieved through Christ's sacrifice to strengthen a person's relationship with Christ and aid in overcoming sin.