Latin Church Terminology and History:
– The Latin Church is in full communion with the pope.
– Also known as the Western Church and Roman Church.
– Carried out evangelizing missions to the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, and East Asia.
– The Protestant Reformation resulted in the fragmentation of Western Christianity.
– Viewed as one of the five patriarchates of early Christianity.
– Majority of Eastern Christian Churches broke full communion with the Latin Church.
– The Crusades were launched to defend Christians in the Holy Land.
– Until 2005, the pope claimed the title patriarch of the West.
Latin Church Membership and Organization:
– Directly headed by the pope as Latin patriarch.
– 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in addition to the Latin Church.
– Each individual Church or Rite should retain its traditions whole and entire.
– Latin liturgical rites include Roman Rite, Ambrosian Rite, Mozarabic Rite, and variations of the Roman Rite.
– Latin Church priests are required to observe celibacy, except for married clergy from other churches.
– Bishops in the Latin Church appointed by the Pope after consultation with various dicasteries.
Latin Church Liturgical Rites and Theology:
– Latin Rite includes its own liturgy, theology, and spiritual practices.
– Augustine of Hippo, influential Church Father in Latin Christianity.
– Augustine’s works include ‘The City of God,’ ‘De doctrina Christiana,’ and ‘Confessions.’
– Latin Church norms for confirmation and Eucharist administration.
– Augustine’s concept of the City of God and the New Jerusalem.
– Various forms of Latin liturgical rites coexisted before slowly being withdrawn.
Latin Church Sacraments and Beliefs:
– Seven sacraments in the Latin Church.
– Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, Matrimony.
– Purgatory doctrine: Process of purification for souls.
– Sacraments’ significance in the spiritual life of Catholics.
– Purgatory is a process of transformation for unity with the communion of saints.
Latin Church Controversies and Doctrines:
– Filioque controversy: Term added to Nicene Creed.
– Papal authority: Pope as head of the Latin Church.
– Lack of essence-energies distinction: Gregory Palamas defended hesychast spirituality.
– Competitive Spirituality in Purgatory Belief.
– Tertullian’s View on Purgatory and its evolution within Catholic belief.
The Latin Church (Latin: Ecclesia Latina) is the largest autonomous (sui iuris) particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 churches sui iuris in full communion with the pope; the other 23 are collectively referred to as the Eastern Catholic Churches, and have approximately 18 million members combined.
 Latin Church | |
|---|---|
| Ecclesia Latina | |
 Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, Italy | |
| Type | Particular church (sui iuris) |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Orientation | Western Christianity |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Governance | Holy See |
| Pope | Francis |
| Full communion | Catholic Church |
| Region | Mainly in Western Europe, Central Europe, the Americas, the Philippines, pockets of Africa, Madagascar, Oceania, with several episcopal conferences around the world |
| Language | Ecclesiastical Latin |
| Liturgy | Latin liturgical rites |
| Headquarters | Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome, Italy |
| Territory | Worldwide |
| Origin | 1st century Rome, Roman Empire |
| Separations |
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| Members | 1.2 billion (2015) |
| Other name(s) |
|
| Official website | Holy See |
The Latin Church is directly headed by the pope in his role as the bishop of Rome, whose cathedra as a bishop is located in the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, Italy. The Latin Church both developed within and strongly influenced Western culture; as such, it is also known as the Western Church (Latin: Ecclesia Occidentalis). It is also known as the Roman Church (Latin: Ecclesia Romana), the Latin Catholic Church, and in some contexts as the Roman Catholic Church (though this name can also refer to the Catholic Church as a whole). One of the pope's traditional titles in some eras and contexts has been the Patriarch of the West.
The Latin Church was in full communion with what is referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church until the East-West schism of Rome and Constantinople in 1054. From that time, but also before it, it became common to refer to Western Christians as Latins in contrast to Byzantines or Greeks.
The Latin Church employs the Latin liturgical rites, which since the mid-20th century are very often translated into the vernacular. The predominant liturgical rite is the Roman Rite, elements of which have been practiced since the fourth century. There exist and have existed since ancient times additional Latin liturgical rites and uses, including the currently used Mozarabic Rite in restricted use in Spain, the Ambrosian Rite in parts of Italy, and the Anglican Use in the personal ordinariates.
In the early modern period and subsequently, the Latin Church carried out evangelizing missions to the Americas, and from the late modern period to Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia. The Protestant Reformation in the 16th century resulted in Protestantism breaking away, resulting in the fragmentation of Western Christianity, including not only Protestant offshoots of the Latin Church, but also smaller groups of 19th-century break-away Independent Catholic denominations.
