Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, commonly known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian denomination, with an estimated 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized members worldwide as of 2025. One of the world's oldest continuously functioning institutions, it has played a major role in the development of Western civilization. The Church compromises 24 sui iuris (autonomous) churches—the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches—which together include nearly 3,500 dioceses and eparchies governed by bishops. The pope, as bishop of Rome, serves as the Church's chief pastor.