At Your Fingertips 1

This very short introduction to the history of the Catholic Church covers the centuries from the inception of the Catholic Church when Jesus entrusted the keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter to the eve of the Council of Trent in 1545. As a quick overview of these years the work introduces us to saints and sinners, to the authentic doctrine of the Church and to the heresies which have sought to men and women and rejection of the Church on the part of many others. Upheaval on the spiritual and temporal levels, the successes and failures of Popes and secular rulers, the compromises that were made and he clashes which were inevitable as a result, the humility and personal ambitions of many, the struggle for peace on the part of a few in the midst of countless and wars and acts of rebellion are all part of the narrative to be found in these pages. The history of the Catholic Church is marked by ups and downs, sin and bad judgment, constant in the end a determination to fulfill God’s will no matter what – all these indicating how the finger of God has guided and continues to guide His People still in the midst of worldly travail.