The Dark History of the Catholic Church. Schisms, Wars, Inquisition, Witch Hunts, Scandals, Corruption

The largest Christian denomination in the world with 1.2 billion members, the Catholic Church is the oldest public organization in the world that has played a key role in the development of Western civilization. Its path from a Jewish sect to a world religion is quite convoluted: the Catholic Church was persecuted and also became a persecutor, it gained strength but became mired in corruption, it preached moral purity but itself became involved in dirty scandals.