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There are 3 possible views on this. Probably the most-preferred view by Catholics - and, probably by most Christians - is that the Church was founded during Christ's ministry between 30 and 33ad, when He said to Peter, "you are My rock, on you I build My church.' This made the apostle, Peter, the first Pope of the Catholic Church.
Another view is that the Catholic Church was founded by St. Paul. Through his writings, the Church was opened up to Gentiles; and thus it became a genuine Christian, Catholic church---as opposed to what it was before Paul, which was a sect of Judaism.
A third view - probably the least widely-held - is that when Christ conferred leadership on Peter, He was actually founding the Orthodox church. Later (as the Orthodox Christians see it), the church led by Rome had changed so much that it was no longer part of the Orthodox church. By this view, the Catholic church began with the Great Schism, when Catholicism and Orthodoxy became two separate faiths, in the 11Th century.
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What date was the Roman Catholic Church founded?
