The World's Christians. Douglas Jacobsen. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Douglas Jacobsen
Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited
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Жанр произведения: Религия: прочее
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9781119626121
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walls of most Catholic churches), fasting, and occasionally even physical self‐punishment. Some Catholics consecrate themselves entirely to God by taking religious vows and becoming monks or nuns. Other Catholics seek conversion of their hearts through prayer, meditation, service to others, and other good works that laypeople can undertake without adopting all the rigors and restrictions of monastic life.

      Catholics believe that the bread and wine of the Eucharist literally become the body and blood of Christ as a result of the prayer that is said by the priest during mass (the Catholic service of worship where the Eucharist is celebrated). Holding his hands over the bread and wine, the priest says: “Bless and approve our offering; make it acceptable to you, an offering in spirit and in truth. Let it become for us the body and blood of Jesus Christ, your only Son, our Lord.” As the unleavened wafer (called a host) is ingested, Catholics believe that Christ literally feeds their souls through the holiness of Christ’s own body. Some devout Catholics participate in mass every day. Mother Teresa, the saintly humanitarian from Calcutta, often said that the Eucharist was her spiritual food and that she could not get through a single day without it.

Photo depicts the interior of the Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels with arrows indicating how the architecture of the sanctuary emphasizes the centrality of the altar and the importance of the Eucharist.

      Photo by author.

      The Catholic Church is geographically divided into nearly 3,000 separate and distinct ecclesiastical districts. Most of these are called dioceses, though some have other names such as eparchies, vicariates, and prefectures. A bishop or archbishop oversees every diocese, and the bishop of the oldest or most important diocese in a nation will often be called the primate of that country. In the last half century, local councils of bishops (some national and some regional) have become important entities within the global organization of the Catholic Church. The Council of Latin American Bishops (known as CELAM), for example, was instrumental in developing many of the basic ideas that later found systematic expression in Catholic liberation theology, and more recently the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) helped prompt new discussions both of poverty and of the relationship between Catholicism and other religions. In recent years, a variety of Catholic organizations called “new ecclesiastical movements” (NEM) have also arisen in the Church. These organizations or movements, often led by laypeople, are typically dedicated to one specific cause. The NEM Focolare, for example, has the goal of fostering human unity; the NEM Sant’Egidio is dedicated to helping the poor.

Photo depicts the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

      Photo by author.

      Catholic bishops are morally and theologically subject to the authority of the Pope, who appoints them to office, but