What has been the impact of Christianity on human history?

History itself is divided between a “before” and an “after Christ,” as we know, and the secular philosopher and historian Benedetto Croce expressed his judgment by stating, «We cannot but call ourselves Christians».

It is possible not to be believers, but it is inevitable to recognize the numerous fruits of Christianity, such as the origin of human civilization, the concept of personhood, the values and fundamental rights of humanity, and its uniqueness and irrepeatable nature.

However, not everything has been positive. History also reveals many controversial events caused by Christians who have damaged the image of Christianity and the Church. On this topic, anti-clerical publications (starting from the Enlightenment) have extensively written, often instrumentalizing, extrapolating, and manipulating historical truth.

Undoubtedly, unspeakable injustices have also been committed in the name of the Church. Often, those who perpetrated them desired good but ended up doing evil, betraying the very message of Christ and the teachings of the Church. This was also emphasized by Pope John Paul II during the Jubilee of 2000 when he led the entire Catholic Church in a great act of repentance for the sins committed over the past two millennia.

Acknowledging this does not mean that we should minimize the accusations or believe in black legends. On the contrary, we have done just the opposite in the following dossiers: