What do Catholics believe?

Catholics believe the Nicene faith: one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ truly God and truly man, born of Mary, crucified, and raised. They also believe what the Catechism teaches about Scripture and Tradition, the seven sacraments, the pope as Peter’s successor, Mary, and a purification after death.

Key points

• The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1) prints the Nicene Creed: Jesus Christ is “true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.”
• Catechism 763 (2) says, “The Lord Jesus inaugurated his Church by preaching the Good News, that is, the coming of the Reign of God.”
• Catechism 82 (3) says the Church “does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”
• Catechism 1992 (5) says justification “is conferred in Baptism” and “makes us inwardly just by the power of his mercy.”
• Catechism 1376 (6) says the change of the bread and wine “the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.”
• Catechism 881 (7) says the Lord made Simon alone, “whom he named Peter, the ‘rock’ of his Church.”
• Catechism 1030 (10) says those who die in God’s grace but imperfectly purified “undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”

The statement of faith

The Catechism (1) prints the Nicene Creed. The sentences about Christ:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

The same creed says he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, rose, and will come to judge the living and the dead, and it confesses “one holy catholic and apostolic Church” and “one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.”

John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.King James Version (14), King James Version: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 20:28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.King James Version (15): “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.” Matthew 28:19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:King James Version (16) names “the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Is Jesus God? and The Trinity stay on that confession. Catholics do believe Jesus is God.

Catechism 763 (2) says Jesus “inaugurated his Church by preaching the Good News.” Catechism 766 (2) says, “The Church is born primarily of Christ’s total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross.” Who started the Catholic Church? quotes the Peter texts beside the Protestant articles.

Scripture and Tradition

Catechism 82 (3):

As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.

Catechism 120 (4) says, “It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books.” The list has 46 Old Testament books, or 45 if Jeremiah and Lamentations are counted as one, and 27 New Testament books. What Bible do Catholics use? prints the list and the Protestant lists.

The Westminster Confession, 1.6 (13) says nothing is to be added to Scripture by “traditions of men.” Catholic vs Protestant sets the two claims together and does not decide.

Salvation and the sacraments

Catechism 1987 (5) says the grace of the Holy Spirit justifies us, “that is, to cleanse us from our sins and to communicate to us the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ and through Baptism.” Catechism 1989 (5) says, “Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man.” Catechism 1991 (5) says that with justification “faith, hope, and charity are poured into our hearts.”

Ephesians 2:8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:King James Version (17): “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Romans 3:28Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.King James Version (18): “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Protestant confessions read those verses as pardon by imputed righteousness, received by faith alone. The Catechism reads justification as including interior renewal, conferred in baptism. Can you lose your salvation? quotes the Catechism on mortal sin and the Council of Trent on losing the grace of justification.

The Catechism’s order of the sacraments, in the contents of the same book, is baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony. Catechism 1374 (6) says the whole Christ “is truly, really, and substantially contained” in the Eucharist. Catechism 1376 (6) quotes Trent’s name for the change: transubstantiation.

1 Corinthians 11:24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.King James Version (19): “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” The comparison page quotes Westminster and the Anglican articles, which say the substance of bread and wine remains.

Mary, the saints, and the pope

Catechism 491 (8) quotes the 1854 definition: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.”

Catechism 966 (9) says the Immaculate Virgin “was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things.” Catechism 971 (9) says devotion to Mary “differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.” The full contrast with Protestant and Orthodox texts is What do Christians believe about Mary?.

Catechism 881 (7):

The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the “rock” of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock. The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head. This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church’s very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope.

After death

Catechism 1030 (10):

All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

Catechism 1031 (10) says the Church “gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned,” and that the doctrine was formulated “especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent.” Is purgatory biblical? quotes the verses each side uses and the Protestant articles that reject a third place.

The five precepts

Catechism 2041 (11) calls the precepts “the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort.” Catechism 2042–2043 (11) states them:

The first precept (“You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.“) requires the faithful to participate in the Eucharistic celebration when the Christian community gathers together on the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord.

The second precept (“You shall confess your sins at least once a year.“) ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, which continues Baptism’s work of conversion and forgiveness.

The third precept (“You shall humbly receive your Creator in Holy Communion at least during the Easter season.“) guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts.

The fourth precept (“You shall keep holy the holy days of obligation.“) completes the Sunday observance by participation in the principal liturgical feasts which honor the mysteries of the Lord, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.

The fifth precept (“You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.“) ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts.

The same page adds the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church. The paragraphs fetched here do not give a list of forbidden foods or a ranking of sins. They state these obligations.

Other Christians

Catechism 816 (12) says the Church Christ entrusted to Peter “subsists in the Catholic Church.” Catechism 818 (12) says people born into separated communities and justified by faith in baptism “have a right to be called Christians.” Catechism 838 (12) says those who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized “are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church,” and that with the Orthodox Churches this communion “lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord’s Eucharist.” That is the Catechism’s description. It is not an Orthodox synod’s sentence.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Catholic statement of faith?

The Nicene Creed, printed in the Catechism and quoted above. The Catechism is the longer official exposition of that faith on the Holy See’s website. The Catholic shelf links that book and the Compendium.

Do Catholics believe Jesus is God?

Yes. The creed says “true God from true God,” and John 20:28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.King James Version (15) is Thomas’s confession, “My LORD and my God.”

What is the difference between Catholicism and Christianity?

Catholics are Christians on this site and in Catechism 818 (12). Catholic vs Protestant is the comparison people usually mean.

Who do Catholics pray to?

Catechism 971 (9) distinguishes devotion to Mary from the adoration given to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Mary article quotes that paragraph beside the Protestant refusal to call on the saints.

Can Catholics be cremated and go to heaven?

The Catechism pages fetched for this article, including the paragraphs on heaven, purgatory, and the precepts, do not state a rule about cremation. This page does not add one.

The churches on this site

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