Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church, also called the Roman Church, Romanism, Papism, or Papistry, is the collection of churches and bishops in communion with the Pope of Rome. Roman theology evolved slowly over time with some roots in the theology of the Early Church. However, this allowance for what is called "doctrinal development" has meant that the theology of the Roman Communion has become distinct from the mere Catholic teaching of the Church, and many controversial doctrines have been added on to the pure apostolic faith including the doctrines of Papal Infallibility, Supererogation, the Treasury of Merit, Condign and Congruous Merit, Mary's Immaculate Conception, and Mary's Bodily Assumption into Heaven.
A number of earlier splits within the Catholic Church lead to the development of Rome's unique theology, but this culminated in the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent, where Rome dogmatically affirmed her controversial doctrines surrounding Indulgences and Justification.
Organization
In 2026, the Roman Catholic Church is headed by Pope Leo XIV, who is the current bishop of Rome.
Split with the East
A long tension between Eastern and Western Christianity eventually led to a split between the Pope of Rome and the Eastern Patriarchates culminating in 1054. This split helped to solidify the doctrine of the Papacy as the supreme governor of the Catholic Church within Western Medieval Christianity, as the remaining Patriarchates broke off communion with the western bishops.
Western Schism
In the Middle Ages, lasting from 20 September 1378 to 11 November 1417, bishops residing in Rome and Avignon simultaneously claimed to be the true pope, and were eventually joined by a line of Pisan claimants in 1409. This internal schism was healed at the Council of Constance. This council, in contradiction to later Roman councils, claimed that Ecumenical Councils (which it claimed to be) outranked the spiritual authority of popes.
The Reformation
Abuse of the practice of Indulgences, along with other Medieval Abuses, lead to a movement for reform throughout Europe. Many proto-Reformers began preaching and teaching in the 14th and 15th centuries including John Wycliffe in England, and Jan Hus in Bohemia and Moravia. However, it wasn't until 1517, that the Reformation of Martin Luther began, which, unlike the other movements, was impossible for the Anti-Reformation party to suppress and led to lasting schism throughout Europe. The Church of Rome codified their response to the Reformation in the Council of Trent, which began a reform of some of the excesses of medieval piety, but which affirmed the core theology of the controversial doctrines such as Purgatory, Indulgences, and Justification by Infused Righteousness. The modern theology of the Roman Catholic Church since the Council of Trent largely remained unchanged until the First and Second Vatican Councils in the 19th and 20th centuries.