St. James Catholic Church - Roman Catholic Church History

I attended St. James Catholic Church this Sunday (Nov. 27th), and played guitar at their guitar mass. Since I wrote before about my attendance there (on Feb. 21st, May 10th, and Oct. 14th), on different aspects of the church, this time I will focus on the history of the Roman Catholic Church (often simply called the Catholic Church - though that term can apply to serveral churches/denominations).

The Roman Catholic Church ("RCC") is the largest Christian church (denomination) in the world at over a billion members, with roughly 74 million members in the United States. The word "catholic" derives from a Greek word which means universal, and so the early church called itself catholic - meaning the universal church. All christian churches derive their roots from this early catholic church (or Catholic Church), and most of those which are not Roman Catholic broke away from it (or were forced out) at some point or other in history.

The RCC teaches that it's history goes back to when Jesus told St. Peter he was the rock He would build His church upon. According to tradition, St. Peter became the first bishop of Rome, the first Pope (papa in Latin - a child's term for father) according to RCC teaching. The RCC teaches the following 264 Popes, down to the current Benedict XVI, follow in a direct line of succession (spiritual - not blood). In addition, it teaches that all of its bishops are successors to the original apostles. (Its' priests serving under the bishops.)

Obviously, the RCC has a very long history and tradition, which I do not have the time and space to review here. Needless to say, there have been good points in that history as well as bad points, which even the most ardent Catholic believer acknowledges. However, the vast majority of Catholics, whether traditional, liberal, charismatic, evangelical, nominal, cultural, folk, or other type of Catholic, feels an intense loyalty to, and love for, the Roman Catholic Church, even with all of what they acknowledge as its faults. Since I have been reconnecting to my Catholic roots, I have to say I have been almost stunned by the spiritual depth of many of my Catholic brothers and sisters.