Catholic Church in the United States

events, and historical development of the Catholic Church through time.

The tradition of the Catholic Church claims the Catholic Church began with Jesus Christ and his teachings; the Catholic tradition considers that the Catholic Church is a continuation of the early Christian community established by the Disciples of Jesus. The Church considers its bishops to be the successors to Jesus's apostles and the Church's leader, the Bishop of Rome (also known as the Pope), to be the sole successor to Saint Peter^[1] who ministered in Rome in the first century AD after his appointment by Jesus as head of the Church.^[2][3] By the end of the 2nd century, bishops began congregating in regional synods to resolve doctrinal and policy issues.^[4] Historian Eamon Duffy claims that by the 3rd century, the church at Rome might even function as a court of appeal on doctrinal issues.^[5]