Where is Catholicism? "How is the Catholic Church different from the Orthodox?"

12.10.2019

The word "Catholicism" means universal, universal. And this is indeed one of the largest (along with Orthodoxy and Protestantism) trends in Christianity. There are especially many Catholic believers in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Latin America, and the USA. In total, there are now from 580 to 800 million adherents of Catholicism in the world.

ORIGINS OF CATHOLICISM

Its origins are in a small Roman Christian community, the first bishop of which, according to legend, was the apostle Peter. The process of isolation of Catholicism in Christianity began as early as the 3rd-5th centuries, when economic, political, and cultural differences between the western and eastern parts of the Roman Empire grew and deepened, especially after its division into the Western Roman and Eastern Roman Empires in 395.

The beginning of the division of the Christian Church into Catholic and Orthodox was laid by the rivalry between the popes of Rome and the patriarchs of Constantinople for supremacy in the Christian world. Around 867 there was a break between Pope Nicholas I and Patriarch Photius of Constantinople.

At the VIII Ecumenical Council, the schism became irreversible after the controversy between Pope Leo IV and the Patriarch of Constantinople Michael Keluarius (1054) and was completed when the crusaders captured Constantinople.

BASIS OF CATHOLIC DOCTRINE

Catholicism as one of the directions Christian religion, recognizes its basic dogmas and rituals, but has a number of features in dogma, in the cult, in the organization.

The basis of the Catholic faith, as well as of all Christianity, is the Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. However, unlike the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church considers as sacred tradition the resolutions not only of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, but also of all subsequent councils, and in addition - papal messages and resolutions.

The organization of the Catholic Church is marked by strict centralization. The Pope is the head of this church. It defines doctrines on matters of faith and morality. His power is higher than the power of the Ecumenical Councils.

The centralization of the Catholic Church gave rise to the principle of dogmatic development, expressed, in particular, in the right of non-traditional interpretation of the dogma. Thus, in the Creed, recognized by the Orthodox Church, in the dogma of the Trinity it is said that the Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father. Catholic dogma proclaims that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son. A peculiar doctrine about the role of the church in the work of salvation was also formed. It is believed that the basis of salvation is faith and good deeds. The Church, according to the teachings of Catholicism (this is not the case in Orthodoxy), has a treasury of "super-due" deeds - a "reserve" of good deeds created by Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, holy, pious Christians. The Church has the right to dispose of this treasury, to give a part of it to those who need it, that is, to forgive sins, to grant forgiveness to the penitent. Hence the doctrine of indulgence, the remission of sins for money or for any merit before the church. Hence - the rules of prayers for the dead and the right of the pope to shorten the duration of the soul's stay in purgatory.

The dogma of purgatory (a place intermediate between heaven and hell) exists only in Catholic doctrine. The souls of sinners, who do not bear too big - mortal - sins, burn there in a cleansing fire (it is possible that this is a symbolic image of pangs of conscience and repentance), and then they gain access to paradise. The duration of the soul's stay in purgatory can be shortened good deeds(prayers, donations in favor of the church), which are performed in memory of the deceased by his relatives and friends on earth.

The doctrine of purgatory developed as early as the 1st century. The Orthodox and Protestant churches reject the doctrine of purgatory.

In addition, unlike the Orthodox dogma, the Catholic one has dogmas on the infallibility of the pope - adopted at the 1st Vatican Council in 1870: on the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary - proclaimed in 1854. 1950 Pope Pius XII introduced the dogma of the bodily ascension of the Virgin Mary.

MYSTERIES IN CATHOLICISM

Catholic doctrine, like the Orthodox, recognizes seven sacraments, but the understanding of these sacraments does not coincide in some details. Communion is made with unleavened bread (for the Orthodox - leavened). For the laity, communion is allowed both with bread and wine, and only with bread. When performing the sacrament of baptism, they sprinkle it with water, and do not immerse it in a font. Chrismation (confirmation) is performed at the age of seven or eight years, and not in infancy. In this case, the teenager receives another name, which he chooses for himself, and together with the name - the image of the saint, whose actions and ideas he intends to consciously follow. Thus, the performance of this rite should serve to strengthen one's faith.

In Orthodoxy, only black clergy (monasticism) take the vow of celibacy. Catholics are celibate (celibate), established by Pope Gregory VII. mandatory for all clergy.

CATHOLIC TEMPLE

The center of the cult is the temple. Gothic style in architecture. spread in Europe at the end of the Middle Ages, contributed a lot to the development and strengthening of the Catholic Church. The huge, incommensurable with the growth of a person, the space of a Gothic cathedral, its vaults, towers and turrets directed to the sky evoke thoughts of eternity, that the church is a kingdom not of this world and bears the seal of the kingdom of heaven, And all this with a huge capacity temple. In Notre Dame Cathedral. for example, up to nine thousand people can pray at the same time.

Visual means and the possibilities of Catholic art also have their own characteristics. The strict canon of Orthodox icon painting reduces to a minimum the possibility of manifestation of the creative imagination of the icon painter. Western artists have always had fewer restrictions in depicting a religious subject. Painting, sculpture are quite naturalistic.

A special role in Catholic worship is given to music and singing. The powerful beautiful sound of the organ emotionally enhances the action of the word in worship.

DECORATION OF CATHOLIC PRIESTS

The daily attire of a Catholic priest is a long black cassock with a standing collar. The bishop has a cassock purple, the cardinal has purple, the pope has white. As a sign of the highest spiritual authority, the pope puts on a miter-gilded headdress during divine services, and as a sign of the highest earthly power- tiara. At the heart of the tiara is a miter, on which, as it were, three crowns are put on, symbolizing the trinity of the rights of the pope as a judge, legislator and clergyman. The tiara is made of precious metals and stones. Crowned by her cross. The papal tiara was worn only in exceptional cases:

At the coronation

During major church holidays.

A distinctive detail of the papal attire is p a l l and i. This is a wide white woolen ribbon with six black cloth crosses sewn on it. The pallium is worn around the neck, one end descends to the chest, and the other is thrown over the shoulder to the back.

CATHOLIC LENTS AND HOLIDAYS

Important elements cult - holidays, as well as fasts that regulate the everyday way of life of parishioners.

The Catholics call Advent the Advent. It starts on the first Sunday after Saint Andrew's Day - November 30th. Christmas is the most solemn holiday. It is celebrated with three services:

At midnight, at dawn and during the day, which symbolizes the birth of Christ in the bosom of the Father, in the womb of the Mother of God and in the soul of the believer. On this day, a manger with a figurine of the infant Christ is put up in temples for worship. Christmas is celebrated on December 25 (until the 4th century this holiday was combined with Epiphany and Epiphany). Epiphany among Catholics is called the feast of the Three Kings - in memory of the appearance of Jesus Christ to the pagans and the worship of the three kings. On this day, prayers of thanksgiving are performed in churches: they sacrifice to Jesus Christ as a king - gold, as God - a censer, as a man - myrrh, fragrant oil. Catholics have a number of specific holidays:

Feast of the Heart of Jesus - a symbol of hope for salvation,

Feast of the Heart of Mary - a symbol of special love for Jesus and salvation, a holiday Immaculate Conception Virgin Mary (December 8).

One of the main feasts of the Mother of God - the Ascension of the Mother of God - is celebrated on August 15 (for the Orthodox - the Assumption Holy Mother of God).

The Feast of the Remembrance of the Dead (November 2) is established in memory of those who have passed away. Prayer for them, according to Catholic teaching, reduces the length of stay and suffering of souls in purgatory. The sacrament of the Eucharist (communion) is called the feast of the Body of the Lord by the Catholic Church. It is celebrated on the first Thursday after Trinity.

In the CIS countries, most people are familiar with Orthodoxy, but little is known about other Christian denominations and non-Christian religions. So the question is: What is the difference Catholic Church from Orthodox?”or, to put it more simply, “the difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy” - Catholics are asked very often. Let's try to answer it.

Primarily, Catholics are also Christians. Christianity is divided into three main areas: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. But there is no single Protestant Church (there are several thousand Protestant denominations in the world), and the Orthodox Church includes several independent Churches.

Besides the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), there is the Georgian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church, etc. The Orthodox Churches are governed by patriarchs, metropolitans and archbishops. Not all Orthodox Churches have communion with each other in prayers and sacraments (which is necessary for individual Churches to be part of the one Ecumenical Church according to the catechism of Metropolitan Philaret) and recognize each other as true churches.

Even in Russia itself there are several Orthodox Churches (the Russian Orthodox Church itself, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, etc.). It follows from this that world Orthodoxy does not have a unified leadership. But Orthodox believe that the unity of the Orthodox Church is manifested in a single dogma and in mutual communion in the sacraments.

Catholicism is one Universal Church. All parts of it different countries of the world are in communion with each other, share a single creed and recognize the Pope as their head. In the Catholic Church there is a division into rites (communities within the Catholic Church, differing from each other in forms of liturgical worship and church discipline): Roman, Byzantine, etc. Therefore, there are Roman Catholics, Byzantine Rite Catholics, etc., but they are all members of the same Church.

Now we can talk about the differences:

1) So, the first difference between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is in a different understanding of the unity of the Church. For the Orthodox, it is enough to share one faith and sacraments, Catholics, in addition to this, see the need for a single head of the Church - the Pope;

2) The Catholic Church differs from the Orthodox Church in its understanding of universality or catholicity. The Orthodox claim that the Universal Church is "embodied" in every local Church headed by a bishop. The Catholics add that this local Church must have communion with the local Roman Catholic Church in order to belong to the Universal Church.

3) Catholic Church in that The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (Filioque). The Orthodox Church confesses the Holy Spirit, which proceeds only from the Father. Some Orthodox saints spoke of the procession of the Spirit from the Father through the Son, which does not contradict the Catholic dogma.

4) The Catholic Church confesses that the sacrament of marriage is for life and forbids divorce, The Orthodox Church in some cases allows divorces;

5)The Catholic Church proclaimed the dogma of purgatory. This is the state of souls after death, destined for paradise, but not yet ready for it. There is no purgatory in Orthodox teaching (although there is something similar - ordeals). But the prayers of the Orthodox for the dead suggest that there are souls in an intermediate state for whom there is still hope of going to heaven after the Last Judgment;

6) The Catholic Church accepted the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. This means that even original sin did not touch the Mother of the Savior. Orthodox glorify the holiness of the Mother of God, but believe that she was born with original sin, like all people;

7)Catholic dogma about the taking of Mary into heaven body and soul is a logical continuation of the previous dogma. The Orthodox also believe that Mary is in Heaven in body and soul, but this is not dogmatically fixed in Orthodox teaching.

8) The Catholic Church has adopted the dogma of the supremacy of the Pope over the whole Church in matters of faith and morality, discipline and government. Orthodox do not recognize the primacy of the Pope;

9) One rite predominates in the Orthodox Church. In the Catholic Church this a rite that arose in Byzantium is called Byzantine and is one of several.

In Russia, the Roman (Latin) rite of the Catholic Church is better known. Therefore, differences between the liturgical practice and ecclesiastical discipline of the Byzantine and Roman rites of the Catholic Church are often mistaken for the differences between the ROC and the Catholic Church. But if the Orthodox liturgy is very different from the Mass of the Roman rite, then it is very similar to the Catholic liturgy of the Byzantine rite. And the presence of married priests in the ROC is also not a difference, since they are also in the Byzantine rite of the Catholic Church;

10) The Catholic Church proclaimed the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope o in matters of faith and morality, when he, in agreement with all the bishops, affirms what the Catholic Church has already believed for many centuries. Orthodox believers believe that only the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils are infallible;

11) The Orthodox Church takes decisions only in the first seven Ecumenical Councils, while The Catholic Church is guided by the decisions of the 21st Ecumenical Council, the last of which was the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).

It should be noted that the Catholic Church recognizes that Local Orthodox Churches are True Churches who preserved the apostolic succession and the true sacraments. And the Symbol of Faith among Catholics and Orthodox is one.

Despite differences, Catholics and Orthodox profess one faith and one teaching of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Once upon a time, human mistakes and prejudices separated us, but until now, faith in one God unites us.

Jesus prayed for the unity of His disciples. His disciples are all of us, both Catholics and Orthodox. Let us join His prayer: “Let them all be one, as You, Father, in Me, and I in You, so that they also be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (Jn 17:21). The unbelieving world needs our common witness for Christ.

Video lectures Doctrines of the Catholic Church

Catholicism (from the Greek "universal", "universal") is the largest branch of the Christian church, one of the largest world religions.

Catholicism, as a fully formed creed, was formed in the 1st millennium AD. on the territory of the Western Roman Empire, and after the split in 1054 and the separation Orthodox Christianity it formed the basis of a new, completely independent denomination - the Roman Catholic Church. Before the schism, the entire Christian Church, both Western and Eastern, was called Catholic, emphasizing its worldwide character. The entire history of Christianity prior to the schism of 1054 is regarded by the Roman Catholic Church as its own. Catholic doctrine dates back to the time of the first apostles, that is, to the 1st century AD.

The Catholic faith base includes:
1. Holy Scripture - Bible ( Old Testament and the New Testament), Apocrypha (sacred texts not included in the Bible).
2. Holy Tradition - the decisions of all (this is one of the main differences from Orthodoxy) ecumenical councils and the works of the church fathers of the II - VIII centuries, such as Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John of Damascus, John Chrysostom, Blessed Augustine. The main provisions of the doctrine are set forth in the Apostolic, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, as well as in the decrees and canons of the Ferrara-Florence, Trent and Vatican I Councils. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church they are stated more popularly.

Basic tenets of Catholicism

Common to both Orthodoxy and Catholicism.
- the idea of salvation through confession of faith,
- the idea of the trinity of God (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit),
- idea of incarnation
- idea of redemption
- the idea of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Characteristic only for Catholicism.
- the filioque procession of the Holy Spirit not only from God the Father, but also from God the Son,
- the idea of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary,
- the dogma of Her bodily ascension,
- the doctrine of purgatory,
- the dogma of the infallibility of the head of the church - the Pope.

The Catholic cult is based on seven main sacramental rites:
- . Catholics believe that the main purpose of Baptism is the washing away of "original sin." It is carried out by pouring water on the head.
- Anointing. It symbolizes the preservation of spiritual purity received during baptism. For Catholics, unlike the Orthodox, it is not carried out immediately after baptism, but from about the age of seven.
- Communion (Eucharist). It symbolizes communion with God through the rite of communion - eating the body and blood of Christ, that is, bread and wine. Some prominent Catholic theologians (for example, St. Augustine) considered them only "symbols" of the presence of God, while the Orthodox believe that their real transformation is taking place - Transubstantiation into the Body and Blood of Christ.
- Repentance (confession). It symbolizes the recognition of one's sins before Jesus Christ, who, through the mouth of a priest, lets them go. For Catholics, for repentance, there are special booths that separate the penitent and the priest, while for the Orthodox, repentance is carried out face to face.
- Marriage. It takes place in the temple at the wedding, when the newlyweds are admonished for a long and happy life together on behalf of Jesus Christ. For Catholics, the wedding takes place forever and is a contract between each of the spouses and the Church itself, in which the priest acts as a simple witness. For the Orthodox, the wedding is not associated with a contract, but with a mystical spiritual union (the union of Christ and His Church). The witness of the Orthodox is not the priest, but the entire "people of God."
- Unction (unction). Symbolizes the descent of the grace of God upon the sick. It consists in anointing his body with wood oil (oil), which is considered sacred.
- Priesthood. It consists in the transfer by the bishop to the new priest of special grace, which he will enjoy throughout his life. In Catholicism, the priest acts "in the image of Christ himself", and they consider him only an assistant to the bishop, who, in turn, already acts in the image of Christ.
The rituals in Orthodoxy and Catholicism are almost identical, the differences are only in their interpretation.

The main worship service in Catholicism is called the mass (from the Latin missa, literally meaning the priest leaves the faithful in peace at the end of the service), it corresponds to Orthodox liturgy. It consists of the Liturgy of the Word (the main element of which is the reading of the Bible) and the Eucharistic Liturgy. It celebrates the sacrament of the Eucharist. In 1962-1965, the All-Catholic Vatican II Council simplified and modernized the worship of the Western Church, and first of all, the Mass. The service is conducted in Latin and national languages.
There are three ranks of church holidays - "memory" (of a certain saint or significant event), "holiday" and "triumph". The two main holidays are Easter and. Catholics fast on Saturday and Sunday.

Differences in rituals between Catholics and Orthodox

Orthodox pray, turning their faces only to the East. For Catholics, this is unimportant.
Catholics have two fingers, while Orthodox Christians have three fingers.
Catholics are baptized from left to right, Orthodox vice versa.
An Orthodox priest can marry before ordination. Catholics have celibacy, that is, a strict ban on marriage.
Catholics use leavened bread for communion. Orthodox - insipid.
Catholics get down on one knee and cross themselves every time they pass by the altar. Orthodox - no.
For Catholics, in addition to icons, statues are also allowed.
The arrangement of the altar in these two denominations is different.
Orthodox monks are not members of Orders. Catholics are.
Orthodox priests must wear a beard. Catholic - extremely rare.

The church hierarchy originates from the Christian apostles, providing continuity through a series of ordinations. The highest, complete, direct, ecumenical and ordinary in the Catholic Church belongs to the Pope. The Pope is the successor of the Holy Apostle Peter, who was appointed to the post of Head of the Church by Christ himself. The head of the church is also:
- Vicar of Christ on Earth.
- Head of the Universal Church.
- Chief Bishop of all Catholics.
- A teacher of faith.
- An interpreter of the Christian tradition.
- Infallible. This means that speaking on behalf of the Church, the Pope is initially protected by the Holy Spirit from errors in matters of church, morality and doctrine.
The advisory bodies to the pope are the college of cardinals and the synod of bishops.
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Catholic Church. The episcopal see of the pope, together with the curia, form the Holy See.
The clergy make up three degrees of priesthood: deacon, priest, and bishop. The clergy includes only men.
All Catholic bishops are only deputies and representatives of the Pope. The pope appoints each bishop and can overrule his decisions. Each Catholic diocese thus has 2 heads - the Pope and the local bishop.

The hierarchy of the Catholic clergy also implies the presence of numerous church degrees and positions, such as:
Cardinal, archbishop, primate, metropolitan, prelate, abbot.
There are white clergy (priests serving at diocesan churches) and black clergy (monasticism). Unlike the Orthodox, monasticism is not united, but is divided into so-called monastic orders(something from lat. row, rank, order). The first such order was the Order of the Benedictines (IV century). The largest associations of Catholic monks today: Jesuits - 25 thousand, Franciscans - 20 thousand, Salesians - 20 thousand, Christian brothers - 16 thousand, Capuchins - 12 thousand, Benedictines - 10 thousand, Dominicans - 8 thousand .

Roman Catholicism is practiced by about 1 billion 196 million people as of 2012. This is about 3/5 of all Christians on the planet.
Catholicism is the main religion in many European countries, in particular, these are: Portugal, Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ireland, Malta and others. In total, in 21 Europe, Catholics make up the majority of the population, in the Netherlands and half.
In the Western Hemisphere it is the dominant religion throughout South and Central, as well as in and in Cuba.
The Catholics are predominant on and in East Timor. They are in South Korea and China.
According to various estimates, from 110 to 175 million Catholics live in Africa
In the Middle East, many Catholics live only in Lebanon, a small community also exists in Iraq.

There are also 22 Eastern Catholic churches. They are in full denominational and liturgical communion with the Holy See, but enjoy their own canon law, different from that adopted for the Latin Church. Greek Catholics live in Belarus,
The attitude of the Catholic Church towards other religions

The Catholic Church conducts an ecumenical dialogue with other Christian churches, which is carried out by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. In 1964, in parallel with the work of the Council, the visit of the Pope to Constantinople took place, where Pope Paul VI and Patriarch of Constantinople Athenagoras removed the mutual anathemas proclaimed as early as 1054, which was an important step towards the convergence of the two branches of Christianity. Pope John Paul II (elected in 1978) personally did a lot to establish a dialogue between the Vatican and Muslims.

The attitude of Catholicism to business is very characteristic of all traditional religions. As you know, one of the ideologists of Catholicism, Augustine the Blessed, argued that “a merchant can consider himself sinless, but cannot be approved by God,” and the founder of Catholic philosophy, Thomas Aquinas, believed that most forms of trade carried out for profit are immoral.

Catholic theologians still distinguished between two different types economic activity:

1.Manufacturing product for sale. Condemned, but not much.

2. Trading products or issuing loans. Condemned by the church.

The attitude of Catholicism to medicine has undergone significant changes since the Middle Ages. Pope John Paul II, for example, even acknowledged the injustice and fallacy of the church's persecution of Galileo, using this to call for the removal of obstacles to fruitful harmony between science and faith, between church and world. At the same time, the Catholic Church warns against some areas of modern natural science.

The final division of the United Christian Church into Orthodoxy and Catholicism took place in 1054. However, both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church consider themselves only "the one holy, catholic (cathedral) and apostolic Church".

First of all, Catholics are also Christians. Christianity is divided into three main areas: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. But there is no single Protestant Church (there are several thousand Protestant denominations in the world), and the Orthodox Church includes several independent Churches.

Besides the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), there is the Georgian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church, etc.

The Orthodox Churches are governed by patriarchs, metropolitans and archbishops. Not all Orthodox Churches have communion with each other in prayers and sacraments (which is necessary for individual Churches to be part of the one Ecumenical Church according to the catechism of Metropolitan Philaret) and recognize each other as true churches.

Catholicism is one Universal Church. All its parts in different countries of the world are in communion with each other, share a single creed and recognize the Pope as their head. In the Catholic Church there is a division into rites (communities within the Catholic Church, differing from each other in forms of liturgical worship and church discipline): Roman, Byzantine, etc. Therefore, there are Roman Catholics, Byzantine Rite Catholics, etc., but they are all members of the same Church.

The main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism:

1. So, the first difference between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches lies in the different understanding of the unity of the Church. For the Orthodox, it is enough to share one faith and sacraments, Catholics, in addition to this, see the need for a single head of the Church - the Pope;

2. The Catholic Church confesses in the Creed that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (the filioque). The Orthodox Church confesses the Holy Spirit, which proceeds only from the Father. Some Orthodox saints spoke of the procession of the Spirit from the Father through the Son, which does not contradict the Catholic dogma.

3. The Catholic Church confesses that the sacrament of marriage is concluded for life and forbids divorces, while the Orthodox Church allows divorces in some cases.

Angel Delivering Souls in Purgatory, Lodovico Carracci

4. The Catholic Church proclaimed the dogma of purgatory. This is the state of souls after death, destined for paradise, but not yet ready for it. There is no purgatory in the Orthodox teaching (although there is something similar - ordeal). But the prayers of the Orthodox for the dead suggest that there are souls in an intermediate state for whom there is still hope of going to heaven after the Last Judgment;

5. The Catholic Church accepted the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. This means that even original sin did not touch the Mother of the Savior. Orthodox glorify the holiness of the Mother of God, but believe that she was born with original sin, like all people;

6. The Catholic dogma about the taking of Mary into heaven body and soul is a logical continuation of the previous dogma. The Orthodox also believe that Mary is in Heaven in body and soul, but this is not dogmatically fixed in Orthodox teaching.

7. The Catholic Church adopted the dogma of the primacy of the Pope over the entire Church in matters of faith and morality, discipline and government. Orthodox do not recognize the primacy of the Pope;

8. The Catholic Church has proclaimed the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope in matters of faith and morality in those cases when he, in agreement with all the bishops, affirms what the Catholic Church has already believed for many centuries. Orthodox believers believe that only the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils are infallible;

Pope Pius V

9. Orthodox are baptized from right to left, and Catholics from left to right.

For a long time, Catholics were allowed to be baptized in either of these two ways, until in 1570 Pope Pius V ordered them to do it from left to right and nothing else. With such a movement of the hand, the sign of the cross, according to Christian symbolism, is considered to come from a person who turns to God. And when the hand moves from right to left - coming from God, who blesses the person. It is no coincidence that both Orthodox and Catholic priests cross those around them from left to right (looking away from themselves). For the one standing in front of the priest, it is like a blessing gesture from right to left. In addition, moving the hand from left to right means moving from sin to salvation, since left-hand side in Christianity, it is associated with the devilish, and the right one with the divine. And with the sign of the cross from right to left, the movement of the hand is interpreted as the victory of the divine over the devil.

10. In Orthodoxy, there are two points of view on Catholics:

The first considers Catholics to be heretics who distorted the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (by adding (lat. filioque). The second - schismatics (schismatics) who broke away from the United Cathedral Apostolic Church.

Catholics, in turn, consider Orthodox schismatics who broke away from the One, Ecumenical and Apostolic Church, but do not consider them heretics. The Catholic Church recognizes that the local Orthodox Churches are true Churches that have preserved apostolic succession and the true sacraments.

11. In the Latin rite, it is common to perform baptism by sprinkling rather than immersion. The baptismal formula is slightly different.

12. In the Western rite for the sacrament of confession, confessionals are widespread - a place reserved for confession, as a rule, special cabins - confessionals, usually wooden, where the penitent knelt on a low bench to the side of the priest, sitting behind a partition with a lattice window. In Orthodoxy, the confessor and the confessor stand in front of the lectern with the Gospel and the Crucifix in front of the rest of the parishioners, but at some distance from them.

Confessionals or confessionals

The confessor and the confessor stand in front of the lectern with the Gospel and the Crucifixion

13. In the eastern rite, children begin to receive communion from infancy, in the western rite they come to the first communion only at the age of 7-8 years.

14. In the Latin rite, a priest cannot be married (with the exception of rare, specially specified cases) and is obliged to take a vow of celibacy before ordination, in the eastern (for both Orthodox and Greek Catholics) celibacy is required only for bishops.

15. great post in the Latin rite it begins on Ash Wednesday, and in the Byzantine rite on Maundy Monday.

16. In the Western rite, prolonged kneeling is customary, in the Eastern - prostrations, in connection with which benches with shelves for kneeling appear in Latin churches (believers sit only during Old Testament and Apostolic readings, sermons, offertoria), and for the Eastern rite it is important that there is enough space in front of the worshiper to bow to the ground.

17. Orthodox clergy mostly wear beards. Catholic clergy are generally beardless.

18. In Orthodoxy, the departed are especially commemorated on the 3rd, 9th and 40th day after death (the day of death is taken on the first day), in Catholicism - on the 3rd, 7th and 30th day.

19. One of the sides of sin in Catholicism is considered an insult to God. According to the Orthodox view, since God is impassive, simple and unchanging, it is impossible to offend God, we only harm ourselves with sins (one who commits sin is a slave of sin).

20. Orthodox and Catholics recognize the rights of secular authorities. In Orthodoxy, there is a concept of a symphony of spiritual and secular authorities. In Catholicism, there is a concept of the supremacy of church power over secular. According to the social doctrine of the Catholic Church, the state comes from God, and therefore it should be obeyed. The right to disobey the authorities is also recognized by the Catholic Church, but with significant reservations. In Basics social concept The Russian Orthodox Church also recognizes the right to disobey if the authorities force them to apostatize from Christianity or commit sinful acts. On April 5, 2015, Patriarch Kirill in his sermon on the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem noted:

“... The same is often expected from the Church that the ancient Jews expected from the Savior. The Church should help people, supposedly, solve their political problems, be ... a leader in achieving these human victories ... I remember the difficult 90s, when the Church was required to lead the political process. Addressing the Patriarch or one of the hierarchs, they said: “Post your candidacies for the post of President! Lead the people to political victories! And the Church said: "Never!". Because our work is completely different… The Church serves those purposes that give people the fullness of life both here on earth and in eternity. And therefore, when the Church begins to serve the political interests, ideological fashions and passions of this age, ... she descends from that meek young donkey on which the Savior rode ... "

21. In Catholicism, there is a doctrine of indulgences (liberation from temporary punishment for sins in which the sinner has already repented, and the guilt for which has already been forgiven in the sacrament of confession). In modern Orthodoxy, there is no such practice, although earlier “permissive letters”, an analogue of indulgences in Orthodoxy, existed in the Orthodox Church of Constantinople during the period of Ottoman occupation.

22. In the Catholic West, the prevailing opinion is that Mary Magdalene is the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee with chrism. The Orthodox Church categorically disagrees with this identification.

Apparition of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene

23. Catholics are obsessed with fighting any form of contraception, which is especially appropriate during the AIDS pandemic. And Orthodoxy recognizes the possibility of using some contraceptives that do not have an abortive effect, such as condoms and female caps. Of course, legally married.

24. Grace of God. Catholicism teaches that Grace is created by God for people. Orthodoxy believes that Grace is uncreated, eternal and affects not only people, but the whole creation. According to Orthodoxy, Grace is a mystical attribute and the Power of God.

25. The Orthodox use leavened bread for communion. Catholics are insipid. Orthodox receive bread, red wine (the body and blood of Christ) and warm water("warmth" - a symbol of the Holy Spirit), Catholics - only bread and white wine (to the laity - only bread).

Despite differences, Catholics and Orthodox profess and preach throughout the world one faith and one teaching of Jesus Christ. Once upon a time, human mistakes and prejudices separated us, but until now, faith in one God unites us. Jesus prayed for the unity of His disciples. His students are both Catholics and Orthodox.

How is Catholicism different from Orthodoxy? When did the division of the Churches occur and why did it happen? How should the Orthodox approach all this? Let's talk about the most important thing.

The separation of Orthodoxy and Catholicism is a great tragedy in the history of the Church

The division of the One Christian Church into Orthodoxy and Catholicism happened almost a thousand years ago - in 1054.

The One Church consisted, as the Orthodox Church does now, of many local Churches. This means that the Churches - for example, Russian Orthodox or Greek Orthodox - have some external differences(in the architecture of temples; in singing; in the language of worship; and even in how certain parts of worship are conducted), but they are united in the main doctrinal issues, and there is Eucharistic communion between them. That is, a Russian Orthodox can take communion and confess in a Greek Orthodox church and vice versa.

According to the Creed, the Church is one, because at the head of the Church is Christ. This means that there cannot be several Churches on earth that would have different dogma. And it was precisely because of disagreements in doctrinal matters that in the 11th century there was a division into Catholicism and Orthodoxy. As a consequence of this, Catholics cannot take communion and confess in Orthodox churches and vice versa.

Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Moscow. Photo: catedra.ru

What are the differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism?

Today there are a lot of them. And conditionally they are divided into three types.

Doctrine differences- because of which, in fact, there was a split. For example, the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope among Catholics.
Ritual differences. For example, a form of Communion that is different from us among Catholics or a vow of celibacy (celibacy), which is obligatory for Catholic priests. That is, we have fundamentally different approaches to certain aspects of the Sacraments and Church life, and they can complicate the hypothetical reunification of Catholics and Orthodox. But they did not become the reason for the split, and they did not prevent us from reuniting again.
Conditional differences in traditions. For example - org a us in temples; benches in the middle of the church; priests with or without beards; various shape priestly vestments. In other words, external features that do not affect the unity of the Church at all - since some similar differences are found even within the Orthodox Church in different countries. In general, if the difference between Orthodox and Catholics consisted only in them, the One Church would never be divided.

The division into Orthodoxy and Catholicism that occurred in the 11th century was, first of all, a tragedy for the Church, which was and is being acutely experienced by both “us” and the Catholics. Reunification attempts have been made several times over the course of a thousand years. However, none of them turned out to be truly viable - and we will also talk about this below.

What is the difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy - because of what the Church was actually divided?

Western and Eastern Christian Churches This division has always existed. The Western Church is conditionally the territory of modern Western Europe, and later - all the colonized countries of Latin America. The Eastern Church is the territory of modern Greece, Palestine, Syria, and Eastern Europe.

However, the division we are talking about has been conditional for many centuries. Too much different nations and civilizations inhabit the Earth, so it is natural that the same teaching in different parts of the Earth and countries could have some characteristic external forms and traditions. For example, the Eastern Church (the one that became Orthodox) has always practiced a more contemplative and mystical way of life. It was in the East in the III century that such a phenomenon as monasticism arose, which then spread to the whole world. The Latin (Western) Church - has always had the image of Christianity outwardly more active and "social".

In the main doctrinal truths, they remained common.

Saint Anthony the Great, founder of monasticism

Perhaps the differences, which later became insurmountable, could have been noticed much earlier and “agreed”. But in those days there was no Internet, there were no trains and cars. Churches (not only Western and Eastern, but simply - separate dioceses) sometimes existed for decades on their own and rooted in themselves certain views. Therefore, the differences that caused the division of the Church into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, at the time of the “decision” turned out to be too ingrained.

This is what the Orthodox cannot accept in Catholic teaching.

the infallibility of the Pope and the doctrine of the primacy of the See of Rome
changing the text of the Creed
doctrine of purgatory

Pope Infallibility in Catholicism

Each church has its own primate - the head. In the Orthodox Churches, this is the patriarch. The primate of the Western Church (or the Latin Chair, as it is also called) was the pope, who is now the head of the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church believes that the pope is infallible. This means that any judgment, decision or opinion that he voices before the flock is the truth and law for the entire Church.

The current Pope is Francis

According to Orthodox teaching, no person can be higher than the Church. For example, an Orthodox patriarch, if his decisions go against the teachings of the Church or deep-rooted traditions, may well be deprived of his rank by a decision of a bishops' council (as happened, for example, with Patriarch Nikon in the 17th century).

In addition to the infallibility of the pope in Catholicism, there is a doctrine of the primacy of the See of Rome (the Church). Catholics base this teaching on a misinterpretation of the words of the Lord in a conversation with the apostles in Caesarea Filipova - about the alleged superiority of the Apostle Peter (who later "founded" the Latin Church) over the other apostles.

(Matthew 16:15-19) “He says to them: And who do you say that I am? Simon Peter, answering, said: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Then Jesus answered and said to him: Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonas, because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven; and I say to you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”.

You can read more about the dogma of papal infallibility and the primacy of the Roman throne.

The difference between Orthodox and Catholics: the text of the Creed

The different text of the Creed is another reason for disagreement between Orthodox and Catholics - although the difference is only in one word.

The Creed is a prayer that was formulated in the 4th century on the first and second Ecumenical Councils, and she put an end to many doctrinal disputes. It articulates everything that Christians believe.

What is the difference between Catholic and Orthodox texts? We say that we believe "And in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father", and Catholics add: "... from the "Father and the Son proceeding ...".

In fact, the addition of just this one word "And the Son ..." (Filioque) significantly distorts the image of the entire Christian teaching.

The topic is theological, difficult, it is immediately better to read about it at least on Wikipedia.

The doctrine of purgatory is another difference between Catholics and Orthodox

Catholics believe in the existence of purgatory, and the Orthodox say that nowhere - not in any of the books Holy Scripture There is no mention of purgatory in the Old or New Testaments, and even in none of the books of the Holy Fathers of the first centuries.

It is difficult to say how this doctrine arose among the Catholics. Nevertheless, now the Catholic Church fundamentally proceeds from the fact that after death there is not only the Kingdom of Heaven and hell, but also a place (or rather, a state) in which the soul of a person who died in peace with God finds himself, but not holy enough to be in Paradise. These souls, apparently, will certainly come to the Kingdom of Heaven, but first they need to undergo purification.

Orthodox see the afterlife differently than Catholics. There is Heaven, there is Hell. There are ordeals after death in order to be strengthened in peace with God (or fall away from Him). There is a need to pray for the dead. But there is no purgatory.

These are the three reasons why the difference between Catholics and Orthodox is so fundamental that a division of the Churches arose a thousand years ago.

At the same time, over the 1000 years of separate existence, a number of other differences arose (or took root), which are also considered to be what distinguishes us from each other. Something about the external rites - and it may seem like a rather serious difference - and something about the external traditions that Christianity acquired here and there.

Orthodoxy and Catholicism: Differences That Don't Really Divide Us

Catholics don't take communion the way we do - is that true?

Orthodox partake of the Body and Blood of Christ from the chalice. Until recently, Catholics communed not with leavened bread, but with unleavened bread - that is, unleavened bread. Moreover, ordinary parishioners, unlike the clergy, communed only with the Body of Christ.

Before saying why it happened so, it should be noted that this form of Catholic Communion has recently ceased to be the only one. Now other forms of this Sacrament appear in Catholic churches, including the “familiar” one for us: the Body and Blood from the chalice.

And the tradition of Communion, which is different from us, arose in Catholicism for two reasons:

Regarding the use of unleavened bread: Catholics proceed from the fact that at the time of Christ, Jews at Easter broke not leavened, but unleavened bread. (The Orthodox come from the Greek texts of the New Testament, where in describing the Last Supper that the Lord performed with the disciples, the word “artos” is used, which means leavened bread)
Regarding communion of parishioners only with the Body: Catholics proceed from the fact that Christ abides in equal and full measure in any of the parts of the Holy Gifts, and not only when they are combined together. (The Orthodox are guided by the text of the New Testament, where Christ directly speaks of His Body and Blood. Mt 26:26–28: “ And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and having blessed it, broke it, and giving it to the disciples, said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, and said, Drink all of you from it, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.»).

They sit in Catholic churches

Generally speaking, this is not even a difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, since in some Orthodox countries- for example, in Bulgaria - it is also customary to sit, and in many temples you can also see many benches and chairs there.

Lots of benches, but it's not catholic, but Orthodox church- in New York.

Catholic churches have a n

The organ is part of the musical accompaniment of the service. Music is one of the integral parts of the service, because if it were otherwise, there would be no choir, and the entire service would be read. Another thing is that we, the Orthodox, are now accustomed to singing alone.

In many Latin countries, an organ was also installed in temples, since they considered it a divine instrument - they found its sound so sublime and unearthly.

(At the same time, the possibility of using the organ in Orthodox worship was also discussed in Russia at the Local Council of 1917-1918. The well-known church composer Alexander Grechaninov was a supporter of this instrument.)

Vow of celibacy among Catholic priests (celibacy)

In Orthodoxy, both a monk and a married priest can be a priest. We are quite detailed.

In Catholicism, any clergyman is bound by a vow of celibacy.

Catholic priests shave their beards

This is another example of different traditions, and not some fundamental differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Whether a person has a beard or not does not in any way affect his holiness and does not say anything about him as a good or bad Christian. It's just that in Western countries it has been customary to shave a beard for some time (most likely, this is the influence of the Latin culture of Ancient Rome).

Now no one forbids shaving beards and Orthodox priests. It’s just that a priest or monk’s beard is a tradition so deeply rooted in us that breaking it can become a “temptation” for others, and therefore few priests decide on it or even think about it.

Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh is one of the most famous Orthodox pastors of the 20th century. For a time he served without a beard.

The duration of worship and the severity of fasting

It so happened that over the past 100 years, the Church life of Catholics has been significantly "simplified" - if I may say so. The duration of divine services has been reduced, the fasts have become simpler and shorter (for example, before taking communion, it is enough not to eat food for only a few hours). Thus, the Catholic Church tried to reduce the gap between itself and the secular part of society - fearing that excessive strictness of the rules could scare away modern people. Whether it helped or not is hard to say.

The Orthodox Church, in her views on the severity of fasting and external rites, proceeds from the following:

Of course, the world has changed a lot and it will be impossible for most people to live in all severity now. However, the memory of the Rules and a strict ascetic life is still important. "By mortifying the flesh, we free the spirit." And you can’t forget about it - at least as an ideal, which you need to strive for in the depths of your soul. And if this "measure" disappears, then how to maintain the desired "bar"?

This is only a small part of the external traditional differences that have developed between Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

However, it is important to know what unites our Churches:

the presence of Church Sacraments (communion, confession, baptism, etc.)
veneration of the Holy Trinity
veneration of the Mother of God
veneration of icons
veneration of saints and their relics
common saints for the first ten centuries of the Church's existence
Holy Bible

In February 2016, the first ever meeting between the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Pope of Rome (Francis) took place in Cuba. An event of historical scale, but there was no talk of the unification of the Churches at it.

Orthodoxy and Catholicism - attempts to unite (Unia)

The separation of Orthodoxy and Catholicism is a great tragedy in the history of the Church, which is acutely experienced by both Orthodox and Catholics.

Several times in 1000 years attempts have been made to bridge the schism. The so-called Unias were concluded three times - between the Catholic Church and representatives of the Orthodox Church. All of them had the following in common:

They were concluded primarily for political, and not for religious purposes.
Each time, these were “concessions” on the part of the Orthodox. As a rule, in the following form: the external form and language of worship remained familiar to the Orthodox, however, in all dogmatic disagreements, the Catholic interpretation was taken.
Being signed by some bishops, they were generally rejected by the rest Orthodox Church- the clergy and the people, and therefore turned out to be in fact unviable. The exception is the last Union of Brest.

Here are the three Unions:

Union of Lyons (1274)

She was supported by the emperor of Orthodox Byzantium, since the unification with the Catholics was supposed to help restore the shaken financial position of the empire. The union was signed, but the people of Byzantium and the rest of the Orthodox clergy did not support it.

Ferrara-Florence Union (1439)

In this Union, both sides were equally politically interested, since the Christian states were weakened by wars and enemies (Latin states - crusades, Byzantium - confrontation with the Turks, Russia - with the Tatar-Mongols) and the unification of states on religious grounds would probably help everyone.

The situation repeated itself: the Union was signed (although not by all representatives of the Orthodox Church who were present at the council), but it remained, in fact, on paper - the people did not support the union on such conditions.

Suffice it to say that the first "Uniate" service was performed in the capital of Byzantium in Constantinople only in 1452. And less than a year later, the Turks captured it ...

Union of Brest (1596)

This Union was concluded between the Catholics and the Orthodox Church of the Commonwealth (the state that then united the Lithuanian and Polish principalities).

The only example when the union of Churches turned out to be viable - albeit within the framework of just one state. The rules are the same: all divine services, rituals and language remain familiar to the Orthodox, however, not the patriarch, but the pope is commemorated at the services; the text of the Creed is changed and the doctrine of purgatory is adopted.

After the division of the Commonwealth, part of its territories ceded to Russia - and with it a number of Uniate parishes also departed. Despite the persecution, they continued to exist until the middle of the 20th century, until they were officially banned by the Soviet authorities.

Today, there are Uniate parishes on the territory of Western Ukraine, the Baltic states and Belarus.

Separation of Orthodoxy and Catholicism: how to relate to this?

We would like to bring a short quote from the letters of the Orthodox Bishop Hilarion (Troitsky), who died in the first half of the 20th century. Being a zealous defender of Orthodox dogmas, he nevertheless writes:

“Unfortunate historical circumstances tore the West away from the Church. Over the centuries, the church perception of Christianity was gradually distorted in the West. Teaching has changed, life has changed, the very understanding of life has departed from the Church. We [Orthodox] have preserved church wealth. But instead of lending to others from this unexpected wealth, we ourselves in some areas have come under the influence of the West with its theology alien to the Church.” (Letter 5. Orthodoxy in the West)

And here is what St. Theophan the Recluse answered a woman a century earlier when she asked: “Father, explain to me: none of the Catholics will be saved?”

The saint replied: “I don’t know if the Catholics will be saved, but I know one thing for sure: that I myself will not be saved without Orthodoxy.”

This answer and the quotation from Hilarion (Troitsky) may very accurately indicate that correct attitude Orthodox person to such a misfortune as the division of the Churches.

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