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What Religion do Irish People Believe in?

Catholicism is the main religion in Ireland, accounting for about 92% of the population. Ireland is one of the few devoutly religious countries in Europe, with a regular mass attendance rate of over 90% in 1973.

Catholic teachings are the cornerstone of Irish social formation and way of life, and divorce and abortion are rare. But religion has a tendency to decline. Between 1996 and 2001, regular mass attendance fell from 60% to 48%, but it is still well above most European countries. The Catholic Church also experienced a series of sex scandals in the 1990s. In 1995, the Irish referendum voted 50.28% to repeal a 58-year-old law against divorce.

Catholic

The full name of Catholicism is “Roman Catholic Church”, also known as “Roman Catholic Church”, referred to as “Catholic Church”, and it was also transliterated as “Gateli Church” before. Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity and Protestantism are listed as the three major sects of Christianity, and Chinese academic circles usually refer to them collectively as “Christian religion”.

Christianity is a religious system that believes in Jesus Christ as the Savior, and believes in God as the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of man after death and the final judgment, as well as the return of Christ and the salvation of the world. It originated from the ancient Palestine area, matured in the ancient Roman Empire, and was established as a representative of the Western religious ideology in the Middle Ages in Europe, and has gained its global development in modern times.

At present, Christianity has developed into the largest religion in the world in terms of the number of believers and geographical distribution. The total number of believers claims to be 2.3 billion, accounting for 31.2% of the world’s population and 44% of the total number of religious believers in the world. Thought, culture, politics, economy and so on have extensive and in-depth influence. The Catholic side claims that there are currently 1.313 billion Catholics in the world, accounting for 17.7% of the world’s total population. The proportion of Catholics in each continent is: 48.5% in the Americas, 21.8% in Europe, 17.8% in Africa, 11.1% in Asia, and 0.8% in Oceania.

The main religious activity of Catholicism is “mass”. The Mass is a reenactment of the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples, with the “Holy Body” and “Consecrated Blood” at the center, at which time the believers kneel and bow their heads in the highest respect.

Catholics believe that the formal and complete liturgy must be carried out in the church, and only bishops and priests have the “theocracy” to preside over Mass, and the participation of believers is called “Holy Mass”.

In the past, Mass has been held in Latin. After the 1960s, the Catholic Church began to reform the etiquette, and now most of them have adopted the national language. Churches with priests usually have Mass every day. There are often more than one Sunday Mass on weekends, and many believers participate.

In big festivals, a grand “Ceremony Mass” is also held, and a “Children’s Mass” is held on Christmas Eve. Since the 11th century, the Catholic Church has gradually established seven “sacraments”. The Catholic Church believes that, unlike prayers and other acts, the sacraments are established by Christ and are the work of the Holy Spirit to “sanctify” the believers’ souls and bestow “grace” on the recipients. Therefore, the Catholic Church attaches great importance to these sacraments. .

These sacraments are:

First, Holy Baptism. That is, baptism, which is an initiation ceremony, generally performed by the clergy in the church.

Two, firmness. That is, the anointing ceremony, which anyone who has been baptized can receive, expresses firm belief. Generally, it is carried out by the bishop, and in special cases, it can also be carried out by priests appointed by the bishop.

Three, confession. It is also called repentance, “doing divine work”, also known as “sacrament of reconciliation”, and is a ceremony of “pardoning sins”. The believers declare their “sin” to the clergy, obtain “pardon” and make certain “penance”.

Fourth, the Eucharist. That is, the Eucharist part of the Mass. Catholics believe that communion is union with Christ, and the Eucharist is the source and peak of the church’s life.

Fifth, the last Fu. Sick or dying believers are anointed and chanted by priests or bishops to bless them. 6. Godly. The ceremony for the promotion of monks to the clergy is performed by the bishop. 7. Marriage. The wedding ceremony of believers presided over by a priest.