A cathedral is the correct title for a church that serves as the residence of a bishop. Depending on the kind, a basilica can refer to anything from the architecture of a church to its importance to the Pope. Basilicas are classified by the Holy Roman Catholic Church based on its function, such as palace, papal seat of authority, and so on. There are many different types of basilicas including parish churches, minor basilicas, and major basilicas.
Catholics should know that there is no official connection between a cathedral and a basilica. However, in some cases where a new cathedral is built, it will also become a major basilica. Sometimes an existing building is made into a basilica if it meets certain requirements; for example, if it has been a cathedral before, then it can be again. Otherwise, it would be considered a parish church.
In America, most cities with populations over 100,000 have at least one Catholic cathedral. Although most cathedrals in America are primarily religious buildings, several older structures were once government offices or libraries and now serve as churches.
Cathedrals usually contain many important objects of worship as well as history. Some examples include the Catacombs under Rome, which are believed to be the first Christian cemetery; the Milan Cathedral, which contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus; and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which is famous for its flying buttresses.
A church is any place of worship with a regular congregation that is led by a pastor or priest. A cathedral is a church governed by a bishop; it is the main church within a diocese, which is the region of land over which a bishop has control. The cathedra, the distinctive chair in which a bishop sits, inspired the name.
All over the world, cathedrals are found in only a few cities: Rome, Paris, London, Hamburg, Berlin, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Melbourne, and Santiago. They are all very different, but they have one thing in common: they are the main church within their respective regions. Some countries have several cathedrals because they are national monuments or attract large numbers of tourists. Others may have only one cathedral because they have other major churches within their territory. For example, South Korea has eight major temples for its many Buddhist followers.
Cathedrals were once found everywhere there were large populations of Christians. This was not only because bishops needed places where they could hold court (like Roman senators did for themselves) but also because they needed large churches in which to host religious services and store holy objects. However, as Christianity became more organized, this changed. Bishops began to prefer small towns over large cities because they could better oversee their people locally. As a result, most large cities without local government structures such as mayors or councils were left with no choice but to remove themselves from Christian influence.
A church that serves as the formal residence of a diocesan bishop. 2: something like or indicating (in size or significance) a cathedral; a commercial cathedral; a sports cathedral.
The cathedral is the church in which a residential bishop holds his formal seat or throne, the cathedra, in Christian churches that follow an episcopal system of church governance. Cathedral churches are of varying levels of dignity. The one standing in the greatest distance from any other church building is a metropolitan cathedral; others are diocesan (for a particular diocese) or national (for all countries except England and Ireland where only metropolitans can be appointed). All have the title "Cathedral" after their names.
All but two of Britain's 13 million people are Christian, with almost 80 percent identifying as Anglican. In recent years, the Church of England has experienced a decline in membership and many see this as a threat to their existence. As part of its response, in 1993 the church voted to allow women priests. The first female priests were ordained in 1994. Since then there have been more than 100 women ordained in the church. The church still bans women from becoming bishops but it is a matter for debate as to whether this policy is actually based on scripture or simply old habits of thinking that are hard to break.
The Catholic Church is the largest non-Christian religious body in the world. It is also the youngest religious institution in Europe. Originally founded in Rome in 29 AD by Jesus Christ himself, it is estimated that there are around 1 billion Catholics worldwide.
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