The Christian Church in the West

Hello. My name is Mrs. Clinton, and I'm so glad that you've joined me today for our lesson. I'm really excited about what we're going to be learning together. Today's lesson is called "The Christian Church in the West", and it's taken from the unit "The church: Has there always been diversity?" And we will be thinking about what is the Roman Catholic Church and what it means to different Catholics today. We have some keywords today to help us with our learning, so let's look at those now. Number one, creed. And that's a concise statement summarizing core Christian beliefs in this lesson. And they're often recited during worship services in Christian churches, all sorts of Christian churches. Our second keyword is pope, and this is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Our third word is rosary, and this is a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church. And it's also a physical string of knots or beads used to count prayers, these rosary prayers. And finally, fourth word, Roman Catholic. And this is a Christian denomination, a Christian group led by the Pope. So in our lesson today, we have two learning cycles. Number one, "What is the Roman Catholic Church?" And number two, "What does it mean to be Catholic today?" So let's get going with learning cycle one, "What is the Roman Catholic Church?" And here's Aisha, and she explains what we mean by doing theology in religious education. "Theologians are interested in stories, texts, and traditions. We can better understand people's worldviews by examining what the deeper meanings of these stories, texts, and traditions are. We can also look at the difference they make to people today." So this is what we're going to be doing today, we're going to be doing some theology. And in this lesson, we're going to use these tools of theology to better understand the development of the Christian Church in the West. At the time of Jesus, ancient Romans occupied Jerusalem, and here you can see a map of the ancient Roman Empire as it was at the time of Jesus. And all of that is shown in red. The Roman Empire had taken over a lot of that part of the world. You can see there's a lot of red there. But it meant that people within the red areas could travel very freely. So here we've got some purple arrows showing how Jesus' message spread out from Palestine, Israel at the time, through into the West. So after Pentecost, having the ancient Roman Empire made it easier for people in Jerusalem to spread the message they'd heard about who Jesus was back into their communities. Groups of followers started these first churches in these other places. Later, some of these churches became known as Roman Catholic. So I have a question for you. The Christian Church began when Jesus' followers stayed in Jerusalem after Pentecost. Is that true or false? You might like to pause this video and talk to the person next to you, and then come back to me when you've got your answer and you're ready to continue with the lesson. Welcome back. So was the answer true or false? It was false. Well done if you got that. Why? The Christian Church began in many places as the people who had heard the message in Jerusalem at Pentecost about Jesus, about His resurrection and ascension into heaven, returned to their homes across the Roman world. So Sam asks, "What does it mean when a church is called Roman Catholic?" Well, the word Catholic comes from an ancient Latin, a very old language, and it means universal or general. And it's derived from a Greek word, katholikos, which also means universal. So that Greek word goes back to the language that the New Testament was written in. So you can see there was Greek and then in some places the language went onto Latin, but both of those words, Catholic, mean universal. So the Roman Catholic Church is a church that believes it's the worldwide or universal church. And today, the most important Roman Catholic Church is found in Rome in Italy, so you can see where the name is coming from. Can you find the church in the picture? The church has a dome and it's the largest building in this picture. Now this is St. Peter's, it's a Roman Catholic basilica and it's found in Italy in Rome. It looks very beautiful, doesn't it, and very, very big. Now, 1,000 years after Jesus had lived, the Christian Church had spread into many parts of the world. And in 1054 Common Era, the church split into two main parts or denominations, or groups. The Roman Catholic Church, which was in the West; and the Eastern Orthodox Church, which was in the East. The split occurred because the two leaders of these two particular churches disagreed about the leadership and some beliefs. So, for example, the Roman Catholic Church believed the Bishop of Rome, who was later called the Pope, should be in charge. And the Orthodox Church believed not one person should have total control. So they divided. Now I have a question for you. The Christian Church split into two main groups or denominations because. Can you find the right answer? A, an angel told the churches to split. B, because of a word from God. C, because of disagreement between the two main churches. Or D, having more church denominations was thought to be a good idea. Now, why don't you pause the video to give you time to talk with the person next to you and then come back to me when you've got your answer sorted. Welcome back. And the correct answer is C. So these two main groups or denominations start because of a disagreement between the two main churches. Well done if you got that right. Now the leader of the Roman Catholic Church is called the Pope. This is a photo of Pope Francis. He led the church for 12 years, from 2013 to 2025. Now there are two billion Roman Catholic Christians in the world, this is about 25% of the world's population. The figure's a little low if you go for who is Christened, who has been welcomed formally into church membership, but this is the number of people who attend churches across the world. So the Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denominational group in the world today. Now the Pope lives in Rome, and it's the center of the Roman Catholic faith. St. Peter's Basilica can fit 60,000 people standing, or 20,000 people seated. Just in case you want a marker as to how big that is, by comparison, St. Paul's Cathedral in London can seat 3,000 people. So St. Peter's is over six times, nearly seven times larger. It's a big, big building, a big, big church. So is this true or false? St. Peter's Basilica in Rome can seat 20,000 people. Put your thumbs up if you think that's true, have them down if you think that's false. Are you ready? One, two, three. Show me your answer. Thank you. And the answer is true. Well done if you had your thumb up. Why? Because St. Peter's is one of the largest churches in the world, it can seat 20,000 people at a service. So I have a practice task for you. Can you help Sam to remember the correct answers to complete these sentences? The word Catholic means. It is called the Roman Catholic Church because. The Pope is. There are. Roman Catholic Christians in the world today. And the Roman Catholic Church separated from the Orthodox Church in the year. And this was because. I think you should pause the video to give you some time to work on your answer. You may want to work with a person next to you or in a small group. And when you've answered question one, two, three, and four, whether that's in spoken answers or written answers, come back and start this video again. Welcome back. Let's have a look at the answers. So your completed sentences may look like this. The word Catholic means universal. It's called the Roman Catholic Church because although it began in Rome, it is found throughout the world. The Pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. There are two billion Roman Catholic Christians in the world today, that's about 25% of the world's population. The Roman Catholic Church separated from the Orthodox Church in the year 1054. It was because they disagreed about the leadership and some beliefs. For example, the Roman Catholic Church believed the Bishop of Rome, later called the Pope, should be in charge, while the Orthodox Church believed no one person should have total control. Well done if your answers looked very similar to mine. That's excellent work, excellent learning, and excellent recall. Let's go on to the second part of our learning cycle today for our lesson, "What does it mean to be Catholic today?" So this is Father Jason, and he has a Christian worldview, and he's a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. And Sam asks him, "What does it mean to be a Roman Catholic today?" And Father Jason says, "For me, it's about living out the message Jesus asked of us, to love God, to love our neighbor, and to serve people." Sam then asks, "What do Roman Catholics believe?" "For Roman Catholics, our profession of faith tells us what we believe. We have a creed called the Nicene Creed that sums up our beliefs nicely. The Nicene Creed begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the most holy Trinity." For the first 300 years after Jesus' death and resurrections, Christians worked on what they believed and developed creeds. So a creed is a concise statement summarizing core Christian beliefs, often recited during worship services. Churches came together between 325 and 381 in the Common Era to work on the first creed together, created and later called the Nicene Creed. Many churches in the West use this as a statement of faith today, including the Roman Catholic Church. And let's read the Nicene Creed. It says, "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten and not made, consubstantial with the Father. Through Him, all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and to the life of the world to come." And Christians at the end of that would say, "Amen." Do you know what this is in the picture? Can you find an image of Jesus on the photo? Yes, there it is. So this is called a rosary, and many but not all Roman Catholics will use it to help them to pray. Why do you think it has Jesus on the cross on it? Jesus' death is especially important to Roman Catholic. Sam says to Father Jason, "I've seen images of crosses with and without Jesus on them. Why does the rosary have Jesus on the cross?" And Father Jason replies, "The death of Jesus is central to my Roman Catholic faith. I believe that Jesus is a sacrifice offered for people's sins on behalf of the whole world. That's why Jesus is often pictured on the cross. I lead a service every day that remembers this sacrifice. At Mass, we eat bread and drink the wine as Jesus did in the last supper." And so that service is done every day by priests in the Roman Catholic Church like Father Jason, and it's remembering that sacrifice of Jesus that makes human beings' relationship right with God, because Christians believe through Jesus' sacrifice He takes away the sins of. Now this is James, and he has a Christian worldview and attends the Roman Catholic Church. "James, do you have a rosary?" asks Sam. "Yes, I do. I use my rosary to pray with most days. It was given to me at my first communion," the first time James had Mass, "when I was 10, and so I've had it for a long time." James explains a little bit more. "There are lots of different important practices in my church, and prayer is an important one. I'm partially sighted and I like having something to hold and touch as I pray. The rosary does that for me. As a Roman Catholic, praying for the world and people is important." So for Father Jason, remembering Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was very important. For James, praying for the world and people is very important. So this is Hannah, and she has a Christian worldview and she attends a Roman Catholic Church. Sam asks her, "Hannah, what does it mean to you to be a Roman Catholic?" And she says, "It means following Jesus' teachings and example in the way to treat others. For example, I volunteer to help people make a pilgrimage to Lourdes. It's a special journey people take who are looking for healing and a new connection to God." And Lourdes is the name of a place in France. So Hannah explains more. "Lourdes has been an important pilgrimage site since 1858 when a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous came to see a vision of the Virgin Mary. After the vision of Mary appeared, a sacred spring with healing powers appeared. I help people travel to Lourdes every year. For me, this is living out my Roman Catholic faith." Thank you, Hannah. Now this is Niamh and she occasionally attends her family's Roman Catholic Church. "Niamh, what does it mean to you to be a Roman Catholic?" Well, Niamh says, "It means working for social justice. I think Jesus was someone who challenged power structures for the good of people who were overlooked or were suffering. I don't go to church very often, but for me to be a Roman Catholic is to help others and to speak up, especially for those who don't have power or a voice." Niamh explains a bit more. "I believe we all have an internal conscience. This tells us what's right or wrong. My Roman Catholic faith asked me to listen to this internal voice and to follow it. I believe this is the way God helps us challenge the world for better so there can be more equality." Thank you, Niamh. Can you choose all the statements that are true and are below? A, the death of Jesus has a central importance to Roman Catholics. All Roman Catholics attend church every day. That was B. C, some Roman Catholics might go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. And D, Roman Catholics only pray with a rosary. You might like to pause this video to give you time to think about your answers, and maybe to discuss them with the person next to you. Come back to me and you can start this video again when you're ready for the next part of the lesson. Welcome back. Let's have a look. What were those true answers? It was A and C. Well done if you chose those two correct statements. Now I have a task for you. I'd like you to choose two people from below. So we've had four people in the lesson talking to us, but I'd like you to choose two of them, draw an object or an idea that's important for them as a Roman Catholic Christian. Then explain to me why you chose it and how it links to what is important to them about being a Roman Catholic. So pause this video to give you time to choose your two people, draw your objects, and think about that connection and write about that connection. You might want to do this task on your own or in a small group or with a partner. But when you've got that answer done, come back to me and we'll start the lesson again. Welcome back. Let's have a look if your answers were similar to mine. So I chose James, and his important object is a rosary. And there's a picture of the rosary. And why is that special to him? Because it helps him to pray to God each day. And in fact, he may have said about the world and helping people. And my second person that I chose was Father Jason, and I chose Jesus on the cross. And you can see an image of that. And Father Jason's important object is Jesus on the cross. We sometimes call that a crucifix, so well done if you knew that special word. For him, this is an eternal sacrifice that allows him to have a relationship with God. Now, did you have anything different in your answers? And of course, you may have had Niamh and you may have had Hannah. But well done if you've had an object or an image, an idea or a value, and said why that's important to them today. That's excellent, well done. So we're now at the end of our lesson. Let's look at our main learning today. So we know a quarter of the world, 25% of the world's population, are Roman Catholic, and that's just over two billion people. Roman Catholic Church is a denomination or a group, a Christian group that's led by the Pope from Rome in Italy. Roman Catholic churches can be found around the world, and they are ancient. Roman Catholic beliefs and practices are based around traditions and the Nicene and Creed, along with some others. And many Roman Catholics will use a rosary when they pray. Thank you very much for being with me for this lesson. I hope you've learned some new things and some new facts, but also understood why there's always been diversity in the Christian Church as we have learned a little bit more about that. So I'll say goodbye now, and I hope I see you again at another lesson in your learning. Goodbye.