The Roman Catholic Church

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Here are a few things that may surprise you about the Roman Catholic Church

We have no reason at all the believe that Peter was ever bishop of Rome - in fact the earliest list of bishops of Rome omits his name.

The bishop of Rome, once there was one, was a relatively minor figure for many centuries. Christian emperors and other bishops felt, and were, free to decide important matters without him for many centuries.

By any objective standards the Roman Catholic Church is a schismatic faction of the Orthodox Church.

Even the Orthodox Church has questionable claims to represent the earlist form of Christianity. It is clear that there were many contending factions already when the books of the New Testament were written (they are full of jibes at other factions). If you visit the holy places in Jerusalem you will be surprised to find the Roman Catholic Church treated like a Johnny-come-lately, almost like the Anglican Church. All of the ancient sites belong to the Orthodox Church, the Armenian Church, the Coptic Church, or some other faction that long pre-dates the Roman Church.

The Roman Catholic Church does not represent the most reliable link to the practices of the early Church. We know as a simple matter of fact that the Orthodox Churches have introduced for fewer innovations than the Roman Church. There is also considerable evidence that the Cathars represent an even older tradition. So did the Arians.

The Roman Church started executing heretics (including Priscilian, an Arian and one of its own bishops) as early as the fourth century.

In its attempt to re-write history, we know beyond all doubt that it has tried to destroy and suppress information it did not want to hear, and that it has produced a very long string of deliberate forgeries. The Donation of Constantine, the pseudo Isadoran Forgeries and the False Decretals or just three notable examples.