Yes, I am who I am and my name doesn't matter. However....that is Absolutely, positively FALSE teaching with regard to the Catholic Church! The early Christians were absolutely NOT Catholics. Some of them chose to become Catholics when Constantine decided that religion could help merge the Roman Empire. He allowed religious tolerance with the Edict of Milan in AD 313 (since it was, at that time banned by the Roman Empire). Then, in 325 AD, Constantine called the Council of Nicea in an attempt to unify Christianity. His church was a mix of Christianity and Roman Paganism. This is the church that wen on to become the Catholic CHurch under the Roman Empire. This is when the Roman Papacy was created with the support of the Roman Emperors.
Nah, by 325 the Catholic church had already had 34 or 35 Popes....Pope #1 was, of course, Peter whom Christ PERSONALLY appointed. Constantine certainly did further Christianity when he accepted it as his own. Yes, it did go on to become the Roman Catholic church as we know it....but it was the very same church from the day that Christ established it.