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Roman Catholic Church

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Roman Catholic Church Christian denomination that acknowledges the supremacy of the Pope (see papacy; Papal infallibility). An important aspect of doctrine is the primacy given to the Virgin Mary, whom Roman Catholics believe to be the only human being born without sin (Immaculate Conception). Before the Reformation in the 16th century, the ‘Catholic Church’ applied to the Western Church as a whole, as distinguished from the Eastern Orthodox Church based at Constantinople. The Reformation led to a tendency for the Roman Catholic Church to be characterized by rigid adherence to doctrinal tradition from the 16th to the early 20th century. The desire for a reunited Christendom led to a more liberal attitude in the mid-20th century. The government of the Church is episcopal, with archbishops and bishops responsible for provinces and dioceses. The priesthood is celibate. The centre of the Roman Catholic liturgical ritual is the Mass or Eucharist. Since the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), the Roman Catholic Church underwent marked changes, notably the replacement of Latin by the vernacular as the language of the liturgy. Today, there are c.600 million Roman Catholics worldwide, with large numbers in s Europe, Latin America and the Philippines.

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