what god do catholics believe in?
God
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 Catholic belief holds that the Church " is the continuing presence of Jesus on earth " and that it alone possesses the full means of salvation . Through the passion ( suffering ) of Christ leading to his crucifixion as described in the Gospels , it is said Christ made himself an oblation to God the Father in order to reconcile humanity to God ; the Resurrection of Jesus makes him the firstborn from the dead , the first among many brethren . By reconciling with God and following Christ 's words and deeds , an individual can enter the Kingdom of God . The Church sees its liturgy and sacraments as perpetuating the graces achieved through Christ 's sacrifice to strengthen a person 's relationship with Christ and aid in overcoming sin . 

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 Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is the " Second Person " of the Trinity , God the Son . In an event known as the Incarnation , through the power of the Holy Spirit , God became united with human nature through the conception of Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary . Christ , therefore , is understood as being both fully divine and fully human , including possessing a human soul . It is taught that Christ 's mission on earth included giving people his teachings and providing his example for them to follow as recorded in the four Gospels . Jesus is believed to have remained sinless while on earth , and to have allowed himself to be unjustly executed by crucifixion , as sacrifice of himself to reconcile humanity to God ; this reconciliation is known as the Paschal Mystery . The Greek term " Christ " and the Hebrew " Messiah " both mean " anointed one " , referring to the Christian belief that Jesus ' death and resurrection are the fulfilment of the Old Testament 's messianic prophecies . 

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 The Catholic Church , also known as the Roman Catholic Church , is the largest Christian church , with more than 1 @.@ 27 billion members . As one of the oldest religious institutions in the world , it has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilisation . Headed by the Bishop of Rome , known as the Pope , its doctrines are summarised in the Nicene Creed . The Catholic Church is notable within Western Christianity for its sacred tradition and seven sacraments . 

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 Catholic Mariology deals with the doctrines and teachings concerning the life of the Mary , mother of Jesus , as well as the veneration of Mary by the faithful . Mary is held in special regard , declared the Mother of God ( Greek : Θεοτόκος , translit . Theotokos , lit . ' God @-@ bearer ' ) , and believed as dogma to have remained a virgin throughout her life . Further teachings include the doctrines of the Immaculate Conception ( her own conception without the stain of original sin ) and the Assumption of Mary ( that her body was assumed directly into heaven at the end of her life ) . Both of these doctrines were defined as infallible dogma , by Pope Pius IX in 1854 and Pope Pius XII in 1950 respectively , but only after consulting with the Catholic bishops throughout the world to ascertain that this is a Catholic belief . 

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 The Catholic Church sees merit in examining what it calls " partial agnosticism " , specifically those systems that " do not aim at constructing a complete philosophy of the unknowable , but at excluding special kinds of truth , notably religious , from the domain of knowledge " . However , the Church is historically opposed to a full denial of the capacity of human reason to know God . The Council of the Vatican declares , " God , the beginning and end of all , can , by the natural light of human reason , be known with certainty from the works of creation " . 
