Origin and mission

The Catholic Church traces its foundation to Jesus and the twelve Apostles. It sees the bishops of the Church as the successors of the apostles and the pope (the bishop of Rome), in particular, as the successor of Peter, the leader of the apostles.Catholics cite Jesus' words, in the Gospel according to Matthew, to support this view: "... you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, .... I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.According to Catholic belief, this promised Church, the Catholic Church, was brought fully into the world when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles in the event known as Pentecost.

Many scholars agree that the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus and that the historical record confirms that the See of Rome in particular was considered a Christian doctrinal authority from its beginning.[16][18] Henry Chadwick cites a letter from Pope Clement I to the church in Corinth (c. 95) as evidence of a presiding Roman cleric who exercised authority over all the other local churches which comprised the Catholic Church.

Other scholars disagree with these interpretations. Eamon Duffy for instance, affirms the existence of a Christian community in Rome and that Peter and Paul "lived, preached and died" there,[35] but doubts that there was a ruling bishop in the Roman church in the first century, and questions the Catholic concept of apostolic succession.

The Church believes that its mission is founded upon Jesus' command to his followers to spread the faith across the world:"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." Pope Benedict XVI summarized this mission as a threefold responsibility to proclaim the word of God, celebrate the sacraments, and exercise the ministry of charity. As part of its ministry of charity, the Church runs Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities, Caritas Internationalis, the St. Vincent dePaul Society, Marriage Encounter, Catholic schools, universities, hospitals, orphanages, nursing homes, homeless shelters and ministries to the poor, as well as ministries to families, pregnant women, abused or "battered" women, the elderly, AIDS victims, and the marginalized

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