Emperor Constantine I established the rights of the Church in the year 315

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The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian [1] church, with 1.2 billion members worldwide. It is among the oldest institutions in the world and has [2] played a prominent role in the history of Western civilisation. The Catholic hierarchy is led by the Pope and includes cardinals, patriarchs and diocesan bishops. The Church teaches that it is the one [3][4][5][6] [7][8] true church divinely founded byJesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles and that the Pope is the sole successor to Saint Peter who has apostolic primacy The term "catholic" is derived from the Greek word (katholikos) meaning "universal" and was [23] first used to describe the Church in the early 2nd century. The term katholikos is equivalent to

(katholou), a contraction of the phrase ' (kath' holou) meaning "according to the [24] whole". "Catholic Church" (he katholike ekklesia) first appears in a letter of St Ignatius written in about [25] 110. In the "Catechetical Discourses" of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, "Catholic Church" is used to distinguish [25][26] it from other groups that also call themselves the church. Since the EastWest Schism of 1054, the church that remained in communion with the See of Rome continued to call itself "Catholic" while the Eastern churches have generally been known as [27] "Orthodox" or "Eastern Orthodox". Following the Reformation in the 16th century, the Church continued [27] to use the term "Catholic" to distinguish itself from the various Protestant denominations that split off. The name "Catholic Church" is the most common designation used in official church documents. It is [29] also the term which Paul VI used when signing documents of the Second Vatican Council. However, [30] Church documents produced both by the Holy See and by certain national episcopal [31] conferences occasionally refer to the Roman Catholic Church. The Catechism of Pope Pius X published in 1908 also used the term "Roman" to distinguish the Catholic Church from other Christian communities who are not in full communion with the Church of Rome
[28]

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local particular Churches known as dioceses or eparchies, each overseen by a Catholic bishop. numerous individual communities called parishes staffed by one or more priests, deacons and/or lay [51] ecclesial ministers. Parishes are responsible for the day to day celebration of the sacraments and pastoral care of the Catholic laity. in 2011 (remaining steady at 17.5% of the world population) was 1.214 billion people Vatican records listed 413,418 Catholic priests in the world.