The primary mark of the church, Holiness.

One of the main characteristics of the Catholic Church is her holiness. Not all members, leaders included, are de facto holy. The scandals that riddle catholic history prove that painfully enough. But the church as a whole is holy, because she's considered the bride of Christ, and also, the mystical body of Christ. Initially, members are capable of sinning, but as something founded by Christ himself to save souls, the church as a whole cant …

…but individual Catholics are where the impetrations, flaws, faults and mistakes happen. Catholicism sees the church as a divine institution that has had some sinful Catholics in its ranks, beginning with the pope in Rome to the layperson in the pew. Yet, it's more than the mere sum of its parts. The church includes all the living baptized on earth and all the saints in heaven and all the departed souls in purgatory as well.