WHO FOUNDED WHAT?....THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Jesus founded this Church. But there are many Christian denominations claiming the same. How can we prove the truth in this?

First of all, the Catholic Church is not a denomination. The word denomination is derivative of Latin de and nomen – which means -  to rename. The Catholic Church does not need renaming. Which brings us to the second point, the Catholic Church was instituted by Jesus as proven when He said to Peter, “And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build My church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18, GNT)

Jesus said, “I will build…” – not anybody else but Himself. This means that the Church is divinely instituted and not instituted by mere human. Jesus didn’t say, “I will build My churches.” That means He will build only one Church and He will build it on Peter, the rock foundation with the command to “feed” and “tend” to His sheep (John 21:15-17), giving him authority (Matthew 16:19). One couldn’t separate Peter and the Church. As St Ambrose wrote in 377, “ubi Petrus ibi ecclesia” – “Where Peter is, there is the Church.” After Peter came his successors up to the present Pope Benedict XVI. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_popes)

 In addition, St. Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch, who was a disciple of John the Evangelist, Apostle of Jesus, said in his Letter to the Smyrneans, “Wherever Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church.” Even then, St. Ignatius called the Christian Church “catolicos” which means universal, a term also applied by Irenaeus (d. 202), Ambrose (d. 397), and Augustine (d. 430).

It is not any human, not the Apostles, nor the early Christians who founded and built the Catholic Church. It is Jesus Himself on the day He gave authority to Peter, the first Pope.

Sources and for Additional Informations:

- Catholic Soul, Concise Essays in Catholic Apologetics by Edgardo C. de Vera, pp. 3-4

- The Faith Explained by Leo Trese, p. 151

- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent) http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0109.htm 

- Catholic Answers  http://www.catholic.com/video/did-the-emperor-constantine-found-the-catholic-church

- Catechism of the Catholic Church 763 - 766 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p1.htm#II