Skip to content
God's MapOpen the map

The Church, from Peter to today

The history of the Catholic Church in a few steps, from Pentecost to today, each with its source.

  1. 1st century: Pentecost: the Church is born. The Holy Spirit comes down upon the apostles, who were gathered in prayer with Mary. Acts 1:14; Acts 2:1-4; Catechism 726 and 767
  2. 1st century: Peter, the first pope. Jesus made Peter the rock of his Church. The popes are the successors of Peter. Matthew 16:18; Catechism 881-882
  3. AD 325: The Council of Nicaea. The first council of the whole Church. It proclaimed that the Son is God, of the same nature as the Father. Catechism 465
  4. 1531: Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Virgin Mary appears to Saint Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill, in Mexico.
  5. 1545-1563: The Council of Trent. It responded to the Protestant Reformation and set the list of the books of the Bible: the same 73 books we have today. Catechism 120
  6. 1962-1965: The Second Vatican Council. It encouraged all Catholics to read the Bible and allowed the Mass to be celebrated in each people's own language. Dei Verbum 22 and 25; Sacrosanctum Concilium 36 and 54
  7. 1978-2005: Saint John Paul II. He made 104 trips outside Italy. He visited Mexico five times.
  8. 2005-2013: Benedict XVI. A theologian and a teacher of the faith. He resigned from the papacy in 2013.
  9. 2013-2025: Francis. The first pope born in the Americas: he was from Argentina.
  10. Since 2025: Leo XIV. Elected on May 8, 2025. He is the first pope born in the United States: he was born in Chicago. He is an Augustinian, and he was a missionary and a bishop in Peru.