Catholics believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. They believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, and on the third day, he rose again from the dead. They also 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. Catholics believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, and they confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. They look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Catholics believe that God created the world in love, that human beings fell away from that love through sin, but that God has restored us to his love in his Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ, they discover God who became visible: he became man, lived a fully human life, suffered and died on the Cross for our sins and rose from the dead. To fulfill his promise to “be with you always, even until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20), Jesus established his Church as the place where every human being can encounter him. The whole of Catholic belief and life flows out of this reality.
Other beliefs of Catholics include:
- Baptism is required for salvation.
- The reverence of Mary: Roman Catholics give Mary, the mother of Jesus, an elevated status and believe in her perpetual virginity.
- Catholics worship the One and Only God, who is the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.) He is ONE God, in three divine Persons, and his name is YHWH or Jehovah.
- Catholics see the world and its beauty, renewed by the Incarnation, as sacramental.
It is important to note that there may be variations in beliefs among individual Catholics and different Catholic communities.
