ARTICLE IX
THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH, THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS
129. The only true Church is the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church.
The Holy Catholic Church is the society of the Christian faithful, the head of which is the Pope.
Our Lord Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church.
The word Church means society or congregation.
The Church of Jesus Christ is the visible society founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church of Jesus Christ is militant, purgative and triumphant.
Militant Church: it is formed by those who are in this world.
Purging Church: it is formed by those in purgatory.
Triumphant Church: it is formed by those in heaven.
To reach the triumphant Church it is necessary to belong first to the militant Church.
The ninth article of the Creed refers especially to the militant Church.
Jesus Christ founded the Church so that men might always find in it all the means necessary for their eternal salvation.
These means are: the true faith, sacrifice and the sacraments; in addition, the many spiritual aids such as prayer, counsel and example.
To be saved, it is necessary to belong in fact, or at least with implicit desire, to the true Church of Jesus Christ.
The Church of Jesus Christ is: perpetual and infallible.
Perpetual: means that it is to last until the end of the world.
Infallible: means that it cannot err.
Jesus Christ said: The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will be with you to the end of the ages.
Hell would prevail and Jesus Christ would not always be with the Church, if it should err or disappear.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Catholic Church is the society of the faithful, whose head is the Pope.
To belong to the Catholic Church, it is necessary:
1º To be baptized.
2º To believe all the truths of the faith.
3º To recognize the Pope as the head of the Church.
4º Not to be excommunicated.
They do not belong to the Catholic Church:
Infidels, heretics, schismatics, apostates and excommunicated.
Infidel, is the one who is not baptized.
Heretic is the Christian who pertinaciously denies any dogma of faith.
A schismatic is a Christian who does not recognize the Pope as head of the Church.
Apostate is a Christian who denies by an external act the Catholic faith he formerly professed.
Excommunicated is the Christian who has been deprived by the Church of the spiritual goods common to all the faithful.
The sin, if it does not lead to excommunication, does not prevent one from belonging to the Church.