There is not, and there never was on this earth

It is difficult to appreciate the Catholic Church if you approach it solely as an economist, a jurist, a sociologist or any other ist. You must be a student of history to contemplate it in its full splendour and gain appreciation for its extraordinary role in the course of Western Civilization - aside from the family, by far the most important institution of ours.

My interest in the Catholic Church arose largely when a few years ago I came across this text (see also in the link "The Catholic Church's Approach to Dissent") by British liberal historian Thomas Macaulay. I still consider it the most unbiased text I know of written about the Catholic Church because i) the author is from Great-Britain, the centre of anti-Catholicism in the Western World; ii) the author is an Evangelical Protestant; iii) the author is a liberal thinker and liberals are generally known for their anti-Catholic stance; iv) the author is a historian and historians, in my view, are supposed to have the most comprehensive view of historical institutions.

It is one of the most beautiful texts - and a mostly rare one - ever written about the Catholic Church in modern times. Note that the key point is that the Catholic Church (and culture, I may add) is more tolerant than Protestant Churches (and cultures). Note also that Macaulay considers the Church the work of human policy most deserving of examination. The Church is also seen as the most successful institution that ever existed. This is an extraordinary compliment to the most battered institution of modernity.