Why a Church?
Jesus did not leave us alone.
In short. The Church teaches that Jesus himself founded the Church, giving his community a structure with the Twelve and Peter as their head.1,2 It is the Body of Christ, professed in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic.3,4
Key points
- Jesus founded a community and chose the Twelve, with Peter as their head.2
- The Church is the Body of Christ, and Christ is its head.5
- It is one, holy, catholic and apostolic.4
- It is at once holy and always in need of purification.6
Try this, this week
- Read Acts 2:42-47. Notice what the first Christians did together.
- Visit a parish once, just to look. Sit at the back. Nobody will ask you to do anything.
- Name the people who passed faith to you. A grandparent, a friend, a teacher.
- Say what hurts, if something does. A good priest will want to hear it.
“And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Watch out: what this does not mean
- The Church is not a club of the perfect: all members, including her ministers, must acknowledge that they are sinners.6
- Belonging to the Church does not replace a personal relationship with God; the Church teaches that the faithful are to live from the mystery of faith in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God.12
Common questions
Can’t I just follow Jesus on my own?
The Church teaches that faith is a personal act, but not an isolated one: “No one can believe alone, just as no one can live alone.”7 The Catechism calls believing an ecclesial act, because the Church’s faith precedes, engenders, supports and nourishes our own.8
Why does the Church have a Pope?
The Catechism teaches that the Lord made Simon, whom he named Peter, the “rock” of his Church and gave him the keys.9,10 The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter’s successor, is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of unity for the bishops and the whole company of the faithful.11
Remember: No one comes to faith alone.