The Catholic Church

Useful information for playing VATICAN The Board Game

In reality, the term Catholic Church can be applied in two different ways:

     ▪ The true church founded by Jesus Christ in the sense of true or valid doctrine

     ▪ The organized or institutional expression of Catholic Christianity

The former definition was well established by the late second or early third century and used to distinguish the “Catholic” or Orthodox Church from late Roman heresies. 

The Church as an institution developed in the late Roman Empire and is based on an episcopal mode of government in which bishops govern dioceses. The local churches organized on an episcopal level are, in turn united through their bishops to the pope in his capacity as bishop of Rome and elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Today’s Roman Catholic Church is a truly universal institution with more than one billion members. VATICAN The Board Game simulates the process by which the Roman Catholic Church elects its leader while containing a wealth of historical and factual material about the Catholic Church, and the issues it confronts in the 21st century.