Well dear friend. The Catholic Church never had a specific date that had said this was when the church was built. But When Christ handed the keys to Peter he said "On this Rock you shall build my church".
St. Peter the apostle preached and was martyred in Rome. He was the first bishop of Rome and, therefore, the first Pope.
http://www.catholic.com/library/Was_Peter_in_Rome.asp
The Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic Church has always had its Capital in Rome.
The answer is not Fayetteville. In 1796, Georgia's first Roman Catholic Church was Established in Wilkes County. Next, a second Roman Catholic Church was established in Savannah in 1801
Nothing can "split" the Catholic Church as it is divinely established and guarded. However, there have been two famous cases that tried: the Western Schism when there was a pope or antipope in Avignon and Rome; and the Eastern Schism when the Orthodox left the Catholic Church.
The pope in Rome is the leader of the entire Catholic Church.
The pope is the bishop of Rome and pope, the earthly head of the Catholic Church.
"The Holy See" at the Vatican in Rome, Italy
The Roman Catholic CHurch.
The Catholic Church
Vatican City, inside Rome, is a sovereign nation, and is home of the Catholic Church. There is no "Roman" Catholic Church, that is a popular mistake.
The head Quarters of the Roman Catholic church is The Vatican Rome
The head of the Catholic Church is the Pope, who is in Vatican City, Rome, Italy.