The World View of Early Catholic Missionaries
Catholics trace their roots to the original Christian religion, established by Jesus, when he asked his follower, Peter, to be the “rock” upon which he would build his church. While the official Catholic Church was not established until several centuries later, Catholics believe that their worldwide head, the Pope, is divinely appointed by God and is spiritually descended from Peter.
This means that the Catholic Church has had many centuries to develop an extensive institutional structure and an elaborate set of rituals. The Pope heads the Church from the capital city of Rome. Cardinals, Bishops, and Monsignors fill in the leadership ranks below him, much like governors, senators, and mayors fill various government slots—except that Catholic authorities are appointed rather than elected. For Catholic believers, however, their officials do much more than simply run the institutional aspects of their large organization.
Catholic clergy are invested with spiritual power. Catholics believe that their priests can mediate between themselves and God. Clergy have the power to administer sacraments: baptism, marriage, communion, confirmation, reconciliation, holy orders, and anointing of the sick. Catholics believe that these activities—such as getting baptized, receiving communion, confessing your sins to a priest—will help them to earn salvation and a place in heaven.
The Bible provides a religious heritage for Catholics, who believe in the original Garden of Eden and that, when Adam and Eve were unable to resist temptation, they initiated the downfall of humanity. Humans were banished from the sacred garden and left to live in the material world. Because of this fall, each person since has been born bearing that “original sin,” a mark of that original fall from grace. Only baptism and the recognition that God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to save humanity can redeem the Catholic’s soul and allow them to enter heaven. God and the Church function as redeeming presences in this fallen world.
The Catholic Church also recognizes a system of sainthood. Individuals who seemed to exhibit some sort of exemplary religious zeal—perhaps by dying for their faith or showing great courage—can be nominated and approved by the Pope to become saints. This entails an investigative process that must reveal the presence of miraculous experience in the individual’s life. Over the years, various Saints have been identified with particular causes. The souls of these saints are believed to reside in heaven, where they can intercede on behalf of living people, seeking help directly from God. So a mother with a sick child, for example, might pray to St. Jude to assist her in pleading with God for help.