What Every Roman Catholic Needs to Know
Authority, Part 3
The Development of Catholic Doctrines
By Anthony Pezzotta
Most Roman Catholics, especially those who never question the teachings of their Church, assume that all basic doctrines and practices date back to the teachings of Jesus and the time of the apostles. For the sake of truth, here are the dates (sometimes approximate, sometimes exact), of many unbiblical Roman Catholic doctrines, practices, and laws.
1. Elders or Presbyters first called Priests by Lucian: End of 2nd century
2. Sacerdotal mass started by Cyprian: End of 3rd century
3. Prayers for the dead: About AD 300
4. Making the sign of the cross: About AD 300
5. Wax candles: About AD 320
6. Veneration of angels and saints, and use of images: AD 375
7. The mass celebrated daily, instead of Sundays only: AD 394
8. Exaltation of Mary as “Mother of God” (Council of Ephesus): AD 431
9. Priests wearing special vestments: About AD 500
10. Extreme Unction (anointing of the sick) as a sacrament: AD 526
11. The doctrine of Purgatory (by Gregory I): AD 593
12. Latin to be used in worship: AD 600
13. Prayers addressed to Mary, angels and dead saints: AD 600
14. First time for the bishop of Rome to be called “Pope” (Boniface I): AD 610
15. Kissing the Pope’s feet: AD 709
16. The Pope was declared a state sovereign by Pepin, King of the Franks: AD 750
17. Veneration of crosses, relics and images of the saints: AD 786
18. Water, blessed by a priest with a pinch of salt, becomes “holy water”: AD 850
19. Special veneration of St. Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus: AD 890
20. Beginning of the College of Cardinals (electors of the Pope): AD 927
21. Church bells first baptized by Pope John XIII (Baptism of bells): AD 965
22. Canonization of dead saints for the first time by Pope John XV: AD 995
23. Fast and abstinence from meat on Fridays of Lent: AD 998
24. Mass as a sacrifice and grave obligation of Sunday attendance: 1lth century
25. Obligatory celibacy for priests and bishops: AD 1079
26. The Rosary introduced (adopted from pagans?) by Peter the Hermit: AD 1090
27. Inquisition instituted by the Council of Verona: AD 1184
28. Sale of indulgences: AD 1190
29. Doctrine of Seven Sacraments introduced by Peter Lombard: 12th century
30. Transubstantiation defined by Pope Innocent III: AD 1215
31. Secret confession of sins to a priest instead of God (innocent III): AD 1215
32 Adoration of the Host (worship of wafer) decreed by Pope Honorius III: AD 1220
33. Bible on “Index of Forbidden Books” for laymen (Council of Valencia): AD 1229
34. Use of scapular devised by Simon Stock of England: AD 1251
35. The cup (consecrated wine) forbidden to the laity (Council of Constance): AD 1414
36. Purgatory defined a dogma at Council of Florence: AD 1439
37. Tradition of equal authority with the Bible (Council of Trent): AD 1545
38. Apocryphal books declared canonical and added to the Bible: AD 1546
39. New Longer Creed in place of Apostolic Creed by Pope Pius IV: AD 1560
40. Immaculate Conception of Mary defined a major dogma by Pope Pius IX: AD 1854
41. Syllabus of Errors* proclaimed by Pius IX: AD 1864
42. Infallibility of the Pope defined a major dogma by Pius IX: AD 1870
43. Assumption of Mary body and soul defined a major dogma by Pius XII: AD 1950
44. Mary proclaimed Mother of the Church by Paul VI: AD 1965
* The “Syllabus of Errors” contained official condemnation of Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Conscience and Freedom of Speech. It also disapproved of Freedom of the Press, and condemned all Scientific Discoveries not in keeping with Roman Catholic teachings. It once more asserted the Pope’s temporal authority over all civil rulers.
