No. However, Catholics believe, and most people agree, that mothers are very special people. How much more so then is the mother of Jesus Christ? For this reason, we revere Mary above all other women, and since we know she is close to Jesus in heaven, we ask her to pray to Jesus for us.

The Saints are holy men and women who have lived throughout time and throughout all the world. The saints devoted their lives to Jesus Christ in a profound way, and thus serve as role models for us to follow. Because they are human just like us, they understood what it was like to be a human. We can relate to them and ask them to pray for us in heaven.

The first pope was St. Peter, given the role by Jesus Himself:

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church...
      Mt 16:18

The Church is a huge organization with an incredible amount of diversity. In order to maintain a consistent set of beliefs and clear up disagreements, it is imporant to have a leader who has the authority to make decisions. Without a pope, it is very unlikely that the Catholic Church would have survived as long as it has. The pope ought not to be looked at as a strong authoritarian leader, but as a gentle sheperd who guides the flock of the faithful to safe and prosperous fields.

There are close to 1.3 billion Catholics around the world. The Catholic faith, or more fully, Catholic Christian faith, can be summed up in one phrase: we believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God, died on the cross, and rose from the dead to earn eternal salvation for humanity.

While the phrase is brief, the meaning and implications are overwhelmingly complex, and indeed, many, many books have been written on it. 

Practically, Catholic life follows the Gospel as a guide for living our faith. We believe we should live with compassion, love, and charity. This sets us apart from the world, but true, deeply rooted happiness is found in this way of life.

A more detailed proclamation of our beliefs is found in the Nicene Creed, which Catholics proclaim every Sunday at Mass:

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.