Who created the Catholic church and how?

Answer 1

Catholic Answer

The Catholic faith emanated from God from the beginning of time, and was established on earth definitively from the side of Jesus Christ on the cross outside of Jerusalem when He side was pierced by a spear, around 33 A.D.. Then it was shown to the world at Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit, fifty-three days later. In other words, God created the Catholic Church out of love for men, and He continues to sustain it in existence until the end of the world, again, out of Love.

from

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

766

The Church is born primarily of Christ's total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross. "The origin and growth of the church are symbolized by the blood and water which flowed from the open side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the 'wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.'" Sacrosanctum concilium 5) As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam's side, so the church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross. (Cf. St. Ambrose, In Luc. 2, 85-89: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 15, 1666-1668)

767

"When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that he might continually sanctify the Church." (Lumen gentium 4; cf. Jn 17:4) The "the Church was openly displayed to the crowds and the spread of the gospel among the nations, through preaching, was begun." (Ad gentes 4) As the "convocation" of all men for salvation, the Church in her very nature is missionary, sent by Christ to all the nations to make disciples of them. (Cf. Mt 28:19-20; Ad gentes 2; 5-6)

Answer 2

The Catholic Church, as we know it today, originated by accident to some extent, when the unified Christian Church split in 1054, to form the Catholic Church in the west and the Orthodox Church in the east.Pope Leo IX sent Cardinal Humbert as legate to Constantinople with instructions to excommunicate Patriarch Michael if he did not accede to certain demands. This act led to the Great Schism of 1054 and the formation of the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church that we know today. It could therefore be said that Leo IX started Catholicism.
However, it was the direct act of Humbert in purporting to excommunicate Michael that led to the split. Michael was unable to excommunicate Leo in retaliation, as Leo had already died at the time of this event, so Michael had to satisfy himself with excommunicating the legate himself. As Leo was no longer alive, Humbert could have stayed his hand until a new pope was elected, and by not doing so was also responsible for the Schism and the formation of the two Churches out of the former unified Christian Church. In all of this, Patriarch Michael also bears some responsibility, being partly responsible for the outcome, although his hand was forced.

No one person was responsible for the East-West Schism and the separation of the Roman and Greek Churches, but we can attribute the start of the modern Catholic Church to Pope Leo IX, Cardinal Humbert and Patriarch Michael.