Written by a leading journalist, broadcaster and former editor of the Catholic Herald, Catholicism: A Complete Introduction is designed to give you everything you need to succeed in your studies, all in one place. It covers the key themes and topics that you are expected to understand, outlining the basics in clear jargon-free English.

Table of Contents

• Foreword by Cherie Booth, QC
• Introduction
• Part One: Catholicism – the basics
• 1 What is Catholicism?
• The oldest institution in the Western world
• An historical overview
• How are Catholics different from other Christians?
• The distinguishing features of Catholicism
• Attitudes to other faiths
• Conclusion
• 2 Once a Catholic
• The changing Church
• Was Jesus Catholic?
• What do Catholics believe?
• The place of tradition and prayer
• The role of Mary
• Catholicism operates
• Catholicism as a way of life
• The sacramental life
• Is there a specific Catholic morality?
• Conclusion
• Part Two: The history of Catholicism
• 3 The early Church
• The birth of the Catholic Church
• How the institution was created
• Catholicism as a state religion
• The growth of papal power
• Key thinkers in the first millennium of Catholicism
• 4 From the Dark Ages to the Reformation
• The rise to European domination
• In conflict with ambitious princes
• Schism with the East
• Innocent III – The Vicar of Christ
• The Inquisition
• Avignon popes
• Thomas Aquinas
• Impression of power
• The theses of Martin Luther
• Conclusion
• 5 Counter-Reformation to Holocaust
• The Counter-Reformation
• Jansenism and Gallicanism
• The Enlightenment
• The French Revolution
• Retreat from a changing world
• Pius IX
• A new dawn
• The rise of fascism
• Pius XII and wartime ‘silence’
• Conclusion
• Part Three: The Catholic Church today
• 6 The modern Catholic Church
• The Second Vatican Council
• Aftermath of the Council
• John Paul II
• Benedict XVI
• 7 Catholicism under Pope Francis
• How popes used to be elected
• Who becomes a cardinal?
• Papal conclaves
• How popes are elected now
• Can popes abdicate?
• The Vatican
• Conclusion
• 8 The Church on the ground
• The episcopate
• The nature of priesthood
• Celibacy
• Numbers of priests
• Married priests
• Eastern Rite Catholic Churches
• Priestly titles
• Religious life
• The religious charism
• 9 Women in the Church
• Women priests
• Evidence for women priests in the early Church
• Objections to women priests
• Nuns
• A history of service
• Ten significant nuns
• Consecrated virgins
• Conclusion
• Part Four: Teachings and traditions
• 10 The sacramental and devotional life of Catholics
• The Mass
• The Eucharist
• Baptism
• Reconciliation
• First Holy Communion
• Confirmation
• Marriage
• Holy orders
• The sacrament of the anointing of the sick
• Other devotions
• The Rosary
• Benediction and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
• The Angelus
• Stations of the Cross
• The Divine Office
• Fasting and abstinence
• Eucharistic fasting
• Conclusion
• 11 The sacred and the secular
• Catholics and sex
• Contraception
• Abortion
• Assisted conception
• Homosexuality
• AIDS
• Sexual abuse
• Annulment
• Conclusion
• 12 Dissent and dispute
• Conscience
• The Internal Forum
• Dissent
• Excommunication
• Liberation theology
• The Devil
• Exorcism
• Conclusion
• 13 Saints and martyrs
• Canonization and beatification
• Modern martyrs
• Conclusion
• 14 Where two worlds overlap
• Religion and science
• Galileo Galilei
• The Pontifical Academy of Science
• The ‘just war’
• Catholicism and the arts
• The Catholic writer
• Modern Catholic movements
• Conclusion
• Conclusion: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
• Glossary
• Answers to fact-checks