Timeline of the Catholic Church

The history of the Catholic Church is a big part of the history of Christianity. It is also, according to church historian Mark A. Noll, the "world's oldest continuously functioning international institution." This article looks at almost two thousand years of this important history.

Over time, some big disagreements have split Christianity apart. The Catholic Church says these big splits happened around 144 with Marcionism, 318 with Arianism, 451 with the Oriental Orthodox, and between 1054 and 1449 during the East–West Schism. During this time, the churches in the East and West disagreed about important beliefs and leadership. Then in 1517 came the Protestant Reformation, which led to many new Christian groups.

The Catholic Church has been important in many major events in world history. It helped spread Christianity to Western, Central Europe, and Latin America. It also helped start universities, hospitals, and made big impacts on art, music, and literature. The Church has been involved in many global events, like the Reconquista, the Crusades, and even helped in the Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe near the end of the 20th century.

Ministry of Jesus and founding

Main article: Chronology of Jesus

• 4 BC: Nativity of Jesus. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem during the time of King Herod the Great and the Roman Emperor Augustus. His mother was the Virgin Mary, and Christians believe he was the Son of God.

• Around 28–29 AD: Jesus began his teachings after being baptized. He chose special followers called Apostles, including Peter, James, and John. They saw Jesus perform wonderful deeds and heard his important messages.

• 30-33 AD: Jesus' followers believed he was the Messiah promised long ago. He entered Jerusalem and was later crucified there. But after three days, his followers said he came back to life. Later, he told his disciples to share his teachings with everyone. Shortly after, Peter spoke to many people, and about 3,000 decided to join as followers.

First millennium

Apostolic Catholic Church

Main article: History of early Christianity

The early years of the Catholic Church were filled with important events and changes. In 34 AD, Stephen became the first Christian martyr. Around 40 AD, Mary, known as Our Lady of the Pillar, appeared to James the Great in Spain. In 46 AD, Paul began his journeys to spread the message of Christianity with Barnabas. The Council of Jerusalem in 50 AD decided that new followers did not need to follow Jewish laws, helping Christianity grow separately from Judaism.

Many leaders and important events shaped the early Church. In 64 AD, severe persecution began under Nero after a fire in Rome. Peter was martyred during this time. Paul was martyred in 67 AD, and Pope Linus became the next pope. The year 70 AD saw the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of its temple. The Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and Acts were completed in the 80s AD. By 100 AD, the Gospel of John was finished, and John, the last of the apostles, passed away in Ephesus.

313–476

Important changes continued as the Church grew. In 313 AD, the Edict of Milan allowed Christians to practice their faith openly. In 325 AD, the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea was held to address disagreements among Christians and established the Nicene Creed. Constantine laid the foundation for Constantinople in 324 AD, which later became a major center for the Church.

Christmas was first celebrated in Rome in 336 AD, with December 25 set as the date in 345 AD. In 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius I made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. The Council of Rome in 382 AD set the list of books that are part of the Bible. In 431 AD, the Council of Ephesus affirmed that Jesus was both fully God and fully human. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD further clarified Jesus' nature and affirmed Mary as the Mother of God.

477–799

During this time, the Church continued to expand and organize. In 480 AD, Benedict wrote rules for monasteries that guided monastic life for centuries. In 496 AD, Clovis I, king of the Franks, converted to Catholicism. Pope Gregory the Great, who became pope in 590 AD, reformed Church structures and started Gregorian chant. In 596 AD, Augustine of Canterbury was sent to bring Christianity to the people of England.

Muslim armies conquered Jerusalem and Syria in 638 AD, and Egypt and North Africa followed. In 664 AD, the Synod of Whitby united the Celtic Church in England with the Catholic Church. In 711 AD, Muslim armies invaded Spain. In 732 AD, Charles Martel stopped their advance into Western Europe at Poitiers in France. In 756 AD, the Popes were granted control of Rome by King Pepin the Short of the Franks, beginning the Papal States.

800–1001

In 800 AD, Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III, marking a significant moment for the Church and the Holy Roman Empire. Missionary work continued, with Ansgar beginning work in Sweden around 829 AD. In 863 AD, Cyril and Methodius translated the Bible into Slavonic to help spread Christianity among Slavic peoples. In 962 AD, Otto the Great was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII.

Poland began converting to Catholicism in 966 AD with Mieszko I, and Kievan Rus' followed in 988 AD under Vladimir I the Great. In 1000/1001 AD, Stephen I of Hungary became king and later converted to Catholicism, founding the Catholic Church in Hungary.

Second millennium

1001–1453

In 1012, a book called Decretum about church rules was finished. In 1054, a big split happened between two parts of the Christian church. In 1095, a leader asked people to help protect Christians in faraway lands. Monasteries grew, and new groups of religious people formed. Important church meetings made new rules, and churches were built in a special style called Gothic.

The church grew in power, and new universities were started. In 1215, a big meeting made important decisions for the church. New groups like the Franciscans and Dominicans began. In 1274, the churches briefly reunited. By the end of this time, the church faced challenges from new ideas and leaders.

1454–1599

In the years that followed, explorers like Christopher Columbus reached new lands. The church faced changes, like the start of the Protestant Reformation when Martin Luther questioned church practices in 1517. New churches were started in different parts of the world, and important artists like Michelangelo created famous works. The church also dealt with new ideas and scientific discoveries, like those by Copernicus.

1600–1699

The next years saw more changes. New religious groups and schools were started. In Japan, Christianity was banned. Battles happened, and new leaders shaped the church. In Europe, important political events affected the church. Artists and writers who were Catholic created famous works during this time.

1700–1799

In this period, the church continued to change. New seminaries were founded, and religious orders grew. The church faced challenges from new ideas and political changes, like the French Revolution. Important musical works were created, and the church expanded into new areas.

19th century

The 1800s brought more changes. Napoleon changed the church in France. In the United Kingdom, laws changed to allow more Catholics. New universities were founded, and the church spoke out against slavery. Important church meetings happened, and new areas of the world became part of the Catholic Church. Artists and writers continued to create works that reflected their faith.

20th century

The 1900s were a time of big changes. Wars affected the church, and new leaders brought new ideas. The church grew in many parts of the world. Important events like the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s brought many changes to how the church worked and how people practiced their faith. New movements started, and the church continued to face challenges and opportunities in a changing world.

Third millennium

21st century

See also: History of the Catholic Church since 1962

• March 5, 2000: Beatification of Pedro Calungsod by Pope John Paul II held at the Vatican is a second Filipino martyr of the Philippines.
• April 30, 2000: Pope John Paul II canonizes Faustina Kowalska and designates the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday in the General Roman Calendar, with effect from the following year.
• January 1, 2001: The 21st century and the new millennium begin. The church solemnizes the start of the third Christian millennium by extending into part of the year 2001 the jubilee year that it observes at 25-year intervals and that, in the case of the year 2000, is called the Great Jubilee.
• January 6, 2001: John Paul II issues Novo Millennio Ineunte, a program for the church in the new millennium, wherein he placed sanctity through a training in prayer as the most important priority of the Catholic Church in consonance with its purpose.
• January 25, to 26, 2003: 4th World Meeting of Families at Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines.
• 2004: Cambridge University Press publishes The Cambridge Companion to Hans Urs von Balthasar, a scholarly appraisal of his writings.
• April 2, 2005: Pope John Paul II dies at the age of 84. His funeral is broadcast worldwide and attended by millions in Rome.
• April 19, 2005: German-born Cardinal Joseph Alois Ratzinger is elected by the College of Cardinals as Pope Benedict XVI, thus becoming the first Pope elected during the 21st century and the 3rd millennium.
• August 18, 2005: Pope Benedict XVI attends the World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, his first trip outside Italy.
• January 9, 2006: The 400th Year Anniversary of the Translation of the Black Nazarene is held at Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines; it arrived from Acapulco, Mexico in 1606.
• September 12, 2006: Pope Benedict XVI delivers address on Faith, Reason and the University at the University of Regensburg, decrying the emphasis in the Western world on positivistic reason and philosophy, excluding the divine and dialogue with cultures. He quotes negative views of Emperor Manuel II Paleologus regarding Islam, creating reactions among Muslims in several parts of the world.
• June 11, 2007: Pope Benedict XVI reverted the decision of his predecessor regarding papal elections, and restored the traditional two-thirds majority required.
• July 7, 2007: With his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum Pope Benedict XVI explicitly allows all priests of the Latin Church to use the 1962 Roman Missal when celebrating Mass privately and, under certain conditions, publicly instead of the post-Vatican II Mass, and expressed the wish that this measure would lead to healing the division between the Society of Saint Pius X and the Catholic Church.
• October 28, 2007: Pope Benedict XVI authorizes the largest beatification ceremony in church history involving 498 Spanish Martyrs who were killed during the Civil War in Spain.
• 2007: Fifth Episcopal Conference of Latin America at Aparecida, Brazil. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio – later Pope Francis – served as secretary and helped draft the final document which emphasized what would also be a theme of his pontificate: serving the poor in the peripheries of society.
• August 13, 2007: The Launching of TV Maria are stationed in Manila, Philippines.
• May 2008: A solemn declaration agreed on between Pope Benedict XVI and Muslims, led by Mahdi Mostafavi, stressed that genuine religion is essentially non-violent and that violence can be justified neither by reason nor by faith.
• July 2008: Pope Benedict XVI participates in Sydney, Australia, in the World Youth Day and announces Spain as the country to host the next one.
• January 2009: The Holy See remits the excommunications of the bishops of the Society of St. Pius X, which had had a schismatic relationship with the Catholic Magisterium.
• October 11, 2009: Father Damien, a Belgian priest known as the "Apostle of the Lepers", is canonized.
• November 20, to 27, 2009: The 5th Asian Youth Day in Imus City, Cavite, Philippines.
• April 19, to 22, 2010: The 1st Philippine Apostolic Congress on Mercy was held in the Philippines.
• October 17, 2010: Mary MacKillop, a nun of Scottish descent, is the first Australian born person to be canonized. Also canonized is Holy Cross lay brother, Andre Bessette of Montreal, Canada, whose efforts led to the building of Saint Joseph's Oratory, Montreal.
• October 21, 2012: Kateri Tekakwitha, Algonquin-Mohawk laywoman known as the "Lily of the Mohawks", is canonized by Pope Benedict XVI.
• October 21, 2012: Pedro Calungsod, young layperson of the Archdiocese of Cebu, Philippines, is canonized by Pope Benedict XVI and becomes the Second Filipino saint and First Visayan.
• 2012: Hildegard of Bingen is made a Doctor of the Church.
• February 2013: Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
• March 2013: Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina elected as Pope Francis, the first Latin American and the first Jesuit to be elected Pope.
• May 12, 2013: Pope Francis canonizes over 800 Catholics that were killed by Turks in Otranto, 1480. With this he surpassed the record of John Paul II in canonizing the most saints in a pontificate.
• October 13, 2013: José María of Manila was beatified by Cardinal Angelo Amato in Tarragona, Spain and he became the Spanish-Filipino Martyr.
• October 16–18, 2013: First Philippine Conference of New Evangelization by Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle at the Quadricentennial Pavilion of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila for the video message of Pope Francis.
• January 15–19, 2015: Pope Francis visit to the Philippines, the fourth papal visit.
• February 2015: Charles Maung Bo and Soane Patita Mafi are the first cardinals from Myanmar and Tonga.
• May 2015: Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato si' (Praise be to you) drew attention to "our sin" of destroying the natural environment and met with Big Oil CEOs to drive home the message.
• May 23, 2015: Oscar Romero, the assassinated Archbishop of San Salvador, is beatified by Pope Francis.
• 2015: Beatification of the Three Martyrs of Chimbote, murdered in 1991 in Chimbote, Peru, by members of the communist guerrilla group, the Shining Path.
• April 12, 2015: on Divine Mercy Sunday, during a Mass for the centennial of the Armenian genocide at St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis officially proclaimed Gregory of Narek as Doctor of the Church in the presence of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I, and Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni.
• December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016: In The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, Rome received 21.3 million pilgrims, shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe received 22 million pilgrims, and World Youth Day in Kraków received 3 million pilgrims. According to archbishop Fisichella, president of Pontifical Council for New Evangelization, between 56% and 62% of all Catholics participated in the events while pilgrims in Rome mostly came from Germany, US, Poland, Spanish speaking countries and many from China, Chad, Rwanda, Nepal and Cook Islands.
• January 24–31, 2016: The 51st International Eucharistic Congress held in Cebu City, Philippines, by Papal Legate Charles Maung Bo of Myanmar. the second time in the Philippines since 1937.
• February 12, 2016: Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, meets Pope Francis at José Martí International Airport near Havana, Cuba. They sign a thirty point joint declaration addressing global issues including their hope for re–establishment of full unity, the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, the Syrian Civil War, and church organisation in Ukraine. This was the first meeting between a pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch.
• January 16, to 20, 2017: The 4th World Apostolic Congress on Mercy was held in Manila, Philippines.
• November 2, 2017: Pope Francis suggests recruiting "proven" married men to become priests for dioceses in the Roman/Latin/Western Church where there are few priests (as do the Eastern Catholic Churches).
• May 13, 2017: Pope Francis canonizes Francisco and Jacinta Marto, witnesses to the Marian apparitions at Fatima, Portugal.
• December 18, 2017: Pope Francis named priest-communicator Patrick Peyton venerable. Peyton founded the international Family Rosary Crusade and Family Theater.
• March 19, 2018: In his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad), Pope Francis picks up on a theme of Vatican II, explaining that all are called to the same perfection of virtue.
• May 18, 2018: Bishops of Chile offer their resignations to Pope Francis owing to criminal negligence in dealing with harmful actions among some clerics. Francis accepts the resignations of bishops and cardinals in other countries for similar reasons.
• August 2, 2018: Pope Francis declares the death penalty is unacceptable in all cases, as an attack on human dignity.
• December 17, 2018: The Holy See recognizes the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
• July 1, 2019: The canonization of John Henry Newman authorized and the date set for October 13, 2019.
• July 2, 2019: it was announced that Pope Francis had transferred the nine bone fragments of St, Peter which were displayed during the 'Year of Faith' Mass, to Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Bartholomew, who serves as head of the Eastern Orthodox Christian church, described the gesture as “brave and bold.”
• July 5, 2019: Pope Francis says the Russian Orthodox Church is attempting to manipulate other religions (denominations) in Ukraine.
• September 17, 2019: Pope Francis lunch together with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at Domus Sanctae Marthae.
• October 5, 2019: Pope Francis appoints 13 new cardinals during a ceremony at the Vatican.
• October 6, 2019: The Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region begins.
• October 10, 2019: The Episcopal Conference of Poland has agreed to begin the canonization process for the parents of John Paul II.
• December 15, 2019: First Papal Celebration of Simbang Gabi was held at Vatican City by Pope Francis among the Filipino Catholic Communities.
• May 1, 2020: Luis Antonio Tagle of the Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Manila as the First Filipino Cardinal-Bishop.
• 2021: The Philippines was celebrated by the 500th Year Anniversary of the Arrival of the Christianity since 1521 in Cebu City was arrival of the Spanish Colonizers and the commemoration of Santo Niño de Cebú under the Quincentennial Celebrations.
• December 31, 2022: Pope Benedict XVI dies at the age of 95.
• April 21, 2025: Pope Francis dies at the age of 88, after a period of illness. His funeral is held on 26 April 2025.
• May 9, 2025: Pope Leo XIV was the first American and the first from the Order of Saint Augustine to be elected as the new pope.
• November 28, 2025: Pope Leo XIV and Bartholomew I commemorate the 1,700 year anniversary of the Council of Nicea. They jointly pray the Nicene Creed; the Filioque was omitted.