The
role of the Catholic Church in Western civilization has been intricately intertwined with the
history and formation of Western society. Through
its long history, the church has been a major source of social services like schooling and medical care; inspiration for
Western art,
culture and
philosophy; and influential player in politics and religion. In various ways it has sought to affect Western attitudes to vice and virtue in diverse fields. It has, over many centuries, promulgated the teachings of Jesus within the Western World and remains a source of continuity linking modern Western culture to classical Western culture.
While the West is no longer universally Catholic, the Catholic heritage remains strong in Western countries: festivals like
Easter and
Christmas are marked universally as public holidays;
Pope Gregory XIII's
Gregorian Calendar has been adopted internationally as the
civil calendar; and time itself is measured by the West from the assumed date of the birth of the Church's founder,
Jesus of Nazareth: the Year One AD (
Anno Domini, and not
year "0" which doesn't exist in this system).
The cultural influence of the Church has been vast. Church scholars preserved literacy in Western Europe following the
Fall of Rome. During the
Middle Ages, the Church rose to replace the Roman Empire as the unifying force in Europe. The cathedrals of that age remain among the most iconic feats of architecture produced by Western civilization. Many of Europe's universities were also founded by the church at that time. The
Reformation brought an end to religious unity in the West, but the
Renaissance masterpieces produced by Catholic artists like
Michelangelo,
Leonardo da Vinci and
Raphael at that time remain among the most celebrated works of art ever produced. Similarly, Catholic sacred music by composers like
Beethoven,
Mozart,
Verdi,
Vivaldi and
Shubert is among the most admired
classical music in the Western canon.
The
papacy has been intricately involved in European politics:
Pope Leo the Great met
Attila the Hun in 452, and persuaded him to turn back from his invasion of Italy;
Pope Leo III proclaimed
Charlemagne as
King of the Romans at the foundation of the
Holy Roman Empire;
Pope Clement VII refused to annul the marriage of
Henry VIII, thus prompting the
English Reformation; and
Pope John Paul II is widely credited as having hastened the
Collapse of Communism in Europe. Rivalry between princes and popes and theological disputes contributed to several political conflicts in Western history, but the papacy also acted as peace broker and arbiter between rival rulers. Many have criticized actions of the church that had a profound effect on Western society; of particular note are the arbitrary and harsh practices of the
Roman and
Spanish Inquisitions, the suppression of the ideas of
Galileo Galilei, and the church's
historical treatment of women. Into the modern era, the church has remained prominent in topical debates: from the
1839 papal condemnation of slavery, to 1937's
papal attack on Nazism, to Pope John Paul II's condemnations of the
Iraq War of 2003, the church has tried to fulfill a compassionate role in the world.
The Bible and Catholic theology have also strongly influenced Western philosophers and political activists. The teachings of Jesus, such as the
Parable of the Good Samaritan, are among the important sources for modern notions of
Human Rights and the welfare measures commonly provided by governments in the West. Long held Catholic teachings on sexuality and marriage have also been both influential and (in recent times) controversial.
Catholicism played a role in ending practices such as human sacrifice, slavery,
[1] infanticide and polygamy.
[2] Christianity in general affected the status of women by condemning
infanticide (female infants were more likely to be killed),
divorce,
incest,
polygamy,
birth control,
abortion and
marital infidelity.
[3] While official Church teaching
[4] considers women and men to be
complementary (equal and different), some modern "advocates of ordination of women and other feminists" argue that teachings by
St. Paul, the
Fathers of the Church and
Scholastic theologians advanced the notion of a divinely ordained female inferiority.
[5] Nevertheless,
women have played prominent roles in Western history through the Catholic Church, particularly in education and healthcare, but also as influential theologians and mystics. The important status of the
Virgin Mary gave notions of maternal virtue and compassion a place at the heart of Western civilization.
While the Church has clashed throughout history with rival Western forces such as
paganism,
Orthodox Christianity,
Protestantism, and
communism and its influence is much diminished from its zenith, the immensity of the Catholic contribution to the West's heritage is undeniable. Catholicism is still the majority religion of several major Western countries, including
Brazil,
Mexico,
Italy,
France,
Spain, and
Poland and it is the religious affiliation of a significant and growing minority in countries like the
United States and
Australia.