The Catholic Church teaches that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity—fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. In the Latin Rite Creed, the Holy Spirit is professed to proceed 'from the Father and the Son' (ex Patre Filioque procedit), a doctrinal formulation gradually adopted in the West and formally added to the Creed, which became a point of contention with Eastern Christianity. The Catholic Church defends the Filioque as a legitimate theological development consistent with the original faith.

The Holy Spirit is the divine agent of sanctification, of the Church's unity, and of the sacramental life. The Spirit animates the gifts and charisms of the faithful, guides the Magisterium in its teaching, and is given to each believer at baptism and Confirmation (Chrismation). Catholic Charismatic Renewal movements within the Church emphasize the experiential gifts of the Spirit while remaining within Catholic doctrinal bounds.