The difference between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Does the symbol of the Orthodox faith differ from the Catholic one? What exactly

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It received the greatest distribution in Europe (Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary), in Latin America and the USA. To one degree or another, Catholicism is widespread in almost all countries of the world. Word "Catholicism" comes from Latin - "universal, universal". After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Church remained the only centralized organization and force capable of halting the onset of chaos. This led to the political rise of the church and its influence on the formation of the states of Western Europe.

Features of the doctrine "Catholicism"

Catholicism has a number of features in the doctrine, cult and structure of the religious organization, which reflected the specific features of the development of Western Europe. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are recognized as the basis of the doctrine. All books included in the Latin translation of the Bible (Vulgate) are considered canonical. Only the clergy have the right to interpret the text of the Bible. Sacred Tradition is formed by the decisions of the 21st Ecumenical Council (recognizes only the first seven), as well as the judgments of the popes on ecclesiastical and secular issues. The clergy take a vow of celibacy - celibacy, thereby it becomes, as it were, a partaker of divine grace, which separates it from the laity, whom the church likened to a flock, and the clergy were assigned the role of shepherds. The Church helps the laity to achieve salvation at the expense of the treasury of good deeds, i.e. surplus of good deeds performed by Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the saints. As Christ's viceroy on earth, the Pope disposes of this treasury of super-proper deeds, distributing them among those who need them. This practice, called distribution indulgences, was subjected to fierce criticism from Orthodoxy and led to a split in Catholicism, the emergence of a new direction in Christianity -.

Catholicism follows the Nicene-Constantinople Creed, but creates its own understanding of a number of dogmas. On Toledo Cathedral in 589, an addition was made to the Symbol of Faith about the procession of the Holy Spirit not only from God the Father, but also from God the Son (lat. filioque- and from the Son). Until now, this understanding is the main obstacle to the dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches.

A feature of Catholicism is also the sublime veneration of the Theotokos - the Virgin Mary, the recognition of the dogmas of her immaculate conception and bodily ascension, according to which Holy Mother of God was taken to heaven "with soul and body for the glory of heaven." In 1954, a special celebration was established in honor of the "Queen of Heaven".

Seven sacraments of Catholicism

In addition to the doctrine of the existence of heaven and hell, common to Christianity, Catholicism recognizes the doctrine of purgatory as an intermediate place where the soul of the sinner is purified by going through severe trials.

Committing sacraments- ritual actions adopted in Christianity, with the help of which special grace is transmitted to believers, in Catholicism differs in a number of features.

Catholics, like Orthodox Christians, recognize seven sacraments:

• baptism;
• communion (Eucharist);
• priesthood;
• repentance (confession);
• chrismation (confirmation);
• marriage;
• blessing of oil (unction).

The sacrament of baptism is performed by pouring water over it, chrismation or confirmation - upon reaching the age of seven or eight, and in Orthodoxy - immediately after baptism. The sacrament of communion among the Catholics is performed on unleavened bread, and among the Orthodox - on leavened bread. Until recently, only the clergy received communion with wine and bread, and the laity - only with bread. The sacrament of blessing of oil - the service of prayer and the anointing of a sick or dying person with special oil - oil - is considered in Catholicism as a church blessing to a dying person, and in Orthodoxy - as a way to heal a disease. Until recently, divine services in Catholicism were performed exclusively on Latin, which made it completely incomprehensible to believers. Only II Vatican Cathedral(1962-1965) allowed service in national languages.

The veneration of saints, martyrs, blessed ones, whose ranks are constantly multiplying, is extremely developed in Catholicism. The center of cult and ritual rituals is the temple, decorated with paintings and sculptures on religious themes. Catholicism actively uses all means of aesthetic influence on the feelings of believers, both visual and musical.

On the religion of law and the religion of deification - Hierodeacon John (Kurmoyarov).

Today for quite a large number people interested in the history of the Christian Church, the schism of 1054 between Rome and Constantinople is most often presented as a kind of misunderstanding that arose due to certain foreign policy circumstances and therefore has nothing to do with serious disagreements of a religious and ideological nature.

Alas, we must state with certainty the fact that such an opinion is erroneous and does not correspond to reality. The Schism of 1054 was the result of a deep divergence between the Christian East and the West in understanding the very essence of the Christian faith. Moreover, today it is safe to say that Orthodoxy and Catholicism are fundamentally different religious worldviews. It is about the essential difference between these two worldviews that we want to talk in this article (1).

Catholicism: the religion of law

Western Christianity, unlike Eastern, throughout its history thought more in legal and moral categories than ontological ones.

Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) in his book The Orthodox Doctrine of Salvation wrote in this regard: “Christianity from its very first historical steps collided with Rome and had to reckon with the Roman spirit and the Roman way or way of thinking, but ancient Rome, in fairness, is considered the bearer and exponent of the right, the law. Law (jus) was the main element in which all his concepts and ideas revolved: jus was the basis of his personal life, it also determined all his family, social and state relations. Religion was no exception - it was also one of the applications of law. Becoming a Christian, the Roman and Christianity tried to understand precisely from this side - he also sought in it, first of all, the consistency of the legal ... This is how the legal theory began, which consists in the fact that the remembered analogy of labor and reward is recognized (consciously or unconsciously, openly or under the line) the true expression of the very essence of salvation and therefore is placed as the basic principle of the theological system and religious life, while the Church's teaching on the identity of virtue and bliss is ignored.

Of course, this method of external understanding of salvation at first could not be dangerous for the Church: all its inaccuracies were more than covered by the faith and fiery zeal of Christians; even more. The ability to explain Christianity from the legal point of view was in some respects useful to him: it gave faith, as it were, a scientific form, as if it affirmed it. But that was during its heyday church life... It was not so later, when the worldly spirit penetrated into the Church, when many Christians began to think not about how to fulfill the will of God more perfectly, but, on the contrary, about how to fulfill this will more conveniently, with less losses for this world. Then the possibility of legal formulation of the doctrine of salvation revealed its disastrous consequences. It is not difficult to see what can happen if a person (who, we note, has already lost the heat of his first zeal for Christ and now hesitates with difficulty between love for God and self-love) and considers his relationship to God from a legal point of view.

The main danger of this point of view is that with it a person may consider himself, as it were, entitled not to belong to God with all his heart and mind: in a legal union, such closeness is not assumed and is not required; there you need to observe only external conditions union. A person may not love good, may remain the same self-lover, he must only fulfill the commandments in order to receive a reward. This is most favorable for that mercenary, slavish mood, which does good only because of a reward, without an inner attraction and respect for him. True, this state of compulsory virtue is necessarily experienced by every ascetic of virtue and not once in his earthly life, but this state should never be elevated to a rule, it is only preliminary stage, the goal of moral development is in perfect, arbitrary good deeds. The legal point of view also sins because it sanctifies this preliminary, preparatory state as finished and perfect.

In a legal union, a person stands before the face of God not at all in the position of an unrequited sinner, obliged to everything: he is inclined to imagine himself more or less independent, he expects to receive the promised reward not by the grace of God, but as his due for his labors ”(2).

Thus, the external affairs of a person acquired in Western Christianity "their own" self-sufficient value - a price, the payment of which was quite enough for personal salvation and justification before God.

As a result, a doctrine appeared about God the Creator as a passionate, anthropomorphic being, a Just Judge who rewards a person with good for good and punishment for evil deeds! In the dogmas of this doctrine (strongly reminiscent of the pagan theory of the nature of the divine), God appears before us as a kind of "autocrat, khan, king", constantly keeping his subjects in fear and demanding from them strict observance of his commandments and prescriptions.

It was Western juridism, which was automatically transferred to the theological sphere, that caused the emergence in the Catholic Church of such phenomena as: papal primacy, the doctrine of the supreme merits of the saints, the legal concept of redemption, the doctrine of "two swords", etc.

For the same reason, the very understanding of the meaning of spiritual life has been distorted in Western Christianity. The true understanding of the doctrine of salvation was lost - they began to see salvation in the satisfaction of the desires of the Most High God (and desires of an exclusively judicial and legal nature), they began to believe that strict observance of the established rules, regular participation in rituals, the purchase of indulgences and the performance of various kinds of good deeds give a person a kind of "guarantee" of achieving eternal bliss!

Orthodoxy: the religion of deification

In fact, in essence, Christianity is not a set of rules or rituals, it is not a philosophical or moral and ethical teaching (although the philosophical and ethical components, of course, are present).

Christianity is, first of all, life in Christ! Precisely because: “In the Byzantine tradition, there was never a serious attempt to develop a system of Christian ethics, and the Church itself was never considered the source of normative, particular rules of Christian behavior. Of course, church authority was often accepted as decisive in solving certain specific issues of dispute, and then these decisions later became the guiding criteria for later similar cases. But, nevertheless, the main trend that formed Byzantine spirituality was a call for perfection and holiness, and not a system of ethical rules ”(3).

What is “life in Christ”? How to understand this phrase? And how to combine life in Christ with our ordinary sinful life? Most of the philosophical and religious systems existing in the world base their teaching on the assumption that a person is capable of endless spiritual and moral improvement.

Unlike similar “optimistic” (and at the same time naive) notions about the meaning and purpose of human existence, Christianity claims that a person (in his current state) is an abnormal, damaged, deeply sick creature. And this position is not just a theoretical premise, but a banal reality that opens up to any person who finds the courage to impartially look at the state of the surrounding society and, first of all, at himself.

The purpose of man

Of course, initially God created man to be different: “St. John of Damascus sees the deepest mystery in the fact that man was created“ deified, ”gravitating towards union with God. The perfection of the primordial nature was expressed primarily in this ability to commune with God, to cling more and more to the fullness of the Divine, which was supposed to permeate and transform the entire created nature. Saint Gregory the Theologian meant precisely this highest ability of the human spirit when he spoke of God blowing into a person along with His breath “a particle of His Divinity” - grace that was present in the soul from the very beginning, giving it the ability to perceive and assimilate this adoring energy. For human personality was called, according to the teaching of Saint Maximus the Confessor, “to unite created nature with uncreated nature by love, being in unity and identity the acquisition of grace” ”(4).

However, seeing himself in glory, seeing himself knowing, seeing himself filled with all perfections, a person allowed the thought that he possesses Divine knowledge and that he no longer needs the Lord. This thought excluded a person from the area of ​​the Divine presence! As a result, the human being was perverted: his life was filled with suffering, physically he became mortal, and mentally he subordinated his will to base passions and vices, eventually falling to a lower-natural, bestial state.

It should be noted: in contrast to Western theology, in the tradition of which the concept of the Fall as a legal act (a crime against the commandment not to eat fruit) prevails, in the Eastern tradition the original sin of man has always been considered, first of all, as a damage to nature, and not as “ sin ", of which" all people are guilty "(the Sixth Ecumenical Council with the 102nd rule defines" sin "as" sickness of the soul ").

Sacrifice of christ

God could not remain completely indifferent to the tragedy of man. Being by nature His Absolute Good and Absolute Love, He comes to the aid of His perishing creation and sacrifices Himself for the salvation of the human race, for true love is always sacrificial love! Not daring to violate the free will of a person, forcibly lead him to happiness and good, and considering that there may be people who consciously reject the possibility of salvation, God is incarnated in our world! The Second Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity (God the Word) unites with our (human) nature and through suffering and death on the Cross heals her ( human nature) in Oneself. It is the victory of Christ over death and the re-creation of a new man in Christ that Christians celebrate on the day of Holy Easter!

Having perceived the damage of man, having become a man Himself, the Son of God through the cross and suffering restored the nature of man in Himself and thereby saved mankind from the fatalism of death as a consequence of disunity with God. The Orthodox Church, in contrast to the Catholic Church, which emphasizes the purely legal nature of the atoning sacrifice, unanimously teaches that the Son of God goes to suffer only out of His incomprehensible and sacrificial love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life ”(John 3:16).

But the incarnation of Christ is not only a victory over death, it is a cosmic event, since the restoration of a person in Christ means the return to the cosmos of his primordial beauty. Indeed: “... Only the atoning death of Christ could make this final restoration possible. The death of Christ is really saving and life-giving precisely because it means the death of the Son of God in the flesh (that is, in hypostatic unity) ... As the Alexandrian bishop Athanasius showed in his polemic against Arianism, God alone is able to overcome death, because He "The one who has immortality" (1 Tim. 6:16) ... The resurrection of Christ means precisely that death ceased to exist as an element regulating the existence of man, and that thanks to this man was freed from the bondage of sin "(5).

Church of Christ

Only for the salvation, healing and rebirth of man (and through him and the transformation of the entire created world) God founded the Church on earth, in which, through the Sacraments, the believing soul is joined to Christ. Having endured suffering on the Cross, defeating death and restoring human nature in Himself, Christ on the day of Pentecost, on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, creates on earth the Church (which is the Body of Christ): “And He subdued everything under His feet, and made Him higher of everything, the head of the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him filling all in all ”(Eph. 1:22).

In this regard, it should be noted that the understanding of the Church as a society of people united only by faith in Jesus Christ as the Divine Messiah is completely wrong. Both the Christian family and the Christian state are also societies of people of divine origin, but neither the family nor the state are the Church. Moreover, it is impossible to deduce its basic properties from the definition of the Church as a “society of believers”: unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolate.

So what is the Church? Why is the Church most often compared to the Body of Christ in the Bible? BECAUSE THE BODY ASSUMES UNITY! UNITY IS INDIVIDUAL! That is, UNITY AS A LIVING CONNECTION: “May all be one, as You, Father, in Me, and I in You, so they may also be one in Us, - may the world believe that You sent Me” (Jn. 17:21).

The church, like the human body (where many organs function, the work of which is coordinated by the central nervous system), consists of many members who have a single Head - the Lord Jesus Christ, without whom it is impossible to allow the existence of the Church for a single moment. Orthodoxy regards the Church of Christ as the environment necessary for the realization of the union of man with God: “One body and one spirit, as you are called to the one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all of us ”(Eph. 4: 4-6).

It is thanks to the Church that we no longer run the risk of irrevocably losing communion with God, for we are imprisoned in one Body, in which the Blood of Christ (that is, the sacrament) turns, cleansing us from all sin and all defilement: “And taking the cup and giving thanks, He gave it to them and said: Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins ”(Matt. 26:27).

It is about the unity of all members of the Church in Christ, about the union of love bestowed in the Sacrament of the Sacrament, that is spoken of in all the Eucharistic prayers of the Orthodox Church. For the Church is, first of all, a gathering around the Eucharistic meal. In other words, the Church is a people who gathers in a certain place and in certain time in order to become the Body of Christ.

That is why the Church is built not by teaching and command, but from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This is what Ap. Paul: “So you are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens of the saints and your own to God, having been established on the basis of the apostles and prophets, having Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone, on which the whole building, being built harmoniously, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, on which you also are making yourself a dwelling place of God by the Spirit ”(Eph. 2:19).

Figuratively, the process of human salvation in the Church can be described as follows: people (like living cells) join a healthy organism - the Body of Christ - and receive healing in Him, since they become one in nature with Christ. In this sense, the Church is not just a means of individual sanctification of a person. In Christ, a person acquires a real fullness of life, and, consequently, full-fledged communion with other people; and for the Church it is unimportant whether a person lives on earth or has already departed into another world, for there is no death in the Church, and those who have accepted Christ here, in this life, can become members of the Body of Christ and thereby enter the Kingdom of the Future Age, for: “The Kingdom of God within you are ”(Luke 17:21). The Church is both the Body of Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, “filling all in all”: “One body and one spirit, just as you are called to the one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all of us ”(Eph. 4: 4-6).

Thus, from Christocentricity (that is, from the concept of the Church as the Body of Christ) and synergy (the co-creation of God and man in the work of salvation), it follows that the moral labor of each individual person is necessary to achieve the main goal of life - ADO, which can only be achieved through union with Christ in His Body, in the Church!

That is why, for Eastern theology, in principle, it is impossible to look at salvation from a "legal" point of view: as an expectation of either a reward for virtues, or eternal punishment for sins. According to the gospel teaching, in future life not just a reward or punishment awaits us, but God himself! And union with Him will be the highest reward for the believer, and rejection from Him will be the highest punishment that is possible.

In contrast to the Western understanding of salvation, in Orthodoxy the doctrine of salvation is understood as life in God and with God, for the fullness and constancy of which a Christian must constantly change himself in the image of the God-man Christ: “This is the meaning of sacramental life and the foundation of Christian spirituality. The Christian is by no means called upon to copy Christ, which would be only an external, moral deed ... Pr. Maximus the Confessor presents deification as the communion of “the whole man” with “all God,” because in deification a person achieves the highest goal for which he was created ”(6).

Links:
1) Unfortunately, the format of the article does not allow for a detailed analysis of the doctrine of the Catholic Church, all of its distinctive features: papal primacy, filioque, Catholic Mariology, Catholic mysticism, teachings on original sin, legal doctrine of atonement, etc.
2) Metropolitan Sergius (Old Town). Orthodox teaching about salvation. Part 1. The origin of the legal understanding of life. Catholic: http://pravbeseda.org/library/books/strag1_3.html
3) Meyendorf John, prot. Byzantine theology. Historical trends and doctrinal themes. Chapter "The Holy Spirit and Human Freedom". Minsk: Rays of Sofia, 2001.S. 251.
4) Lossky V.N.Godvision. Essays on the mystical theology of the Eastern Church. M .: Publishing house "AST", 2003. S. 208.
5) Meyendorf John, Archpriest. Byzantine theology. Historical trends and doctrinal themes. Chapter "Atonement and Deification". Minsk: Rays of Sofia, 2001. P. 231–233.
6) Meyendorf John, Archpriest Byzantine theology. Historical trends and doctrinal themes. Chapter "Atonement and Deification". Minsk: Rays of Sofia, 2001. P. 234–235.

Until 1054, the Christian church was one and indivisible. The split occurred due to disagreements between Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Kirularius. Conflict broke out over the closure of several Latin churches by the latter in 1053. For this, the papal legates excommunicated Kirularius from the Church. In response, the patriarch anathematized the papal envoys. In 1965, the mutual curses were lifted. However, the schism of the Churches has not been overcome to this day. Christianity is subdivided into three main areas: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism.

Eastern Church

The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, since both of these religions are Christian, is not very significant. However, there are still some discrepancies in teaching, the performance of the sacraments, etc. We'll talk about which ones a little later. First, let's make a small overview of the main directions of Christianity.

Orthodoxy, called the orthodox religion in the West, is currently professes about 200 million people. Every day, baptism is accepted by about 5 thousand. Those who wish. This trend of Christianity was spread mainly in Russia, as well as in some countries of the CIS and Eastern Europe.

The baptism of Rus took place at the end of the 9th century on the initiative of Prince Vladimir. The ruler of a huge pagan state expressed a desire to marry the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Basil II, Anna. But for this he had to accept Christianity. An alliance with Byzantium was extremely necessary to strengthen the authority of Russia. At the end of the summer of 988, a huge number of Kievites were christened in the waters of the Dnieper.

Catholic Church

As a result of the split in 1054, a separate denomination arose in Western Europe. Representatives of the Eastern Church called it “Catholicos”. Translated from Greek, it means "universal". The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism lies not only in the approach of these two Churches to some of the dogmas of Christianity, but also in the very history of development. The Western denomination, in comparison with the Eastern, is considered much more rigid and fanatical.

One of the most important milestones in the history of Catholicism was, for example, the crusades that brought a lot of grief to the common population. The first of these was organized at the call of Pope Urban II in 1095. The last - the eighth - ended in 1270. The official goal of all crusades was to free the "holy land" of Palestine and the "Holy Sepulcher" from the infidels. In fact, it was the conquest of lands that belonged to Muslims.

In 1229, Pope George IX issued a decree establishing the Inquisition - a church court for apostates. Torture and burning at the stake - this is how extreme Catholic fanaticism was expressed in the Middle Ages. In total, over 500 thousand people were tortured during the existence of the Inquisition.

Of course, the difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy (this will be briefly discussed in the article) is a very large and deep topic. However, in relation to the Church's attitude to the population, in general terms, its traditions and basic concept can be understood. The Western denomination has always been considered more dynamic, but at the same time aggressive, in contrast to the "calm" orthodox.

Currently, Catholicism is the state religion in most European and Latin American countries. More than half of all (1.2 billion people) modern Christians profess this particular religion.

Protestantism

The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism lies in the fact that the former has remained one and indivisible for almost a millennium. In the Catholic Church in the XIV century. there was a split. This was due to the Reformation - a revolutionary movement that arose at that time in Europe. In 1526, at the request of German Lutherans, the Swiss Reichstag issued a decree on the right of citizens to freely choose their religion. In 1529, however, it was canceled. As a result, a protest followed from a number of cities and princes. This is where the word "Protestantism" comes from. This Christian trend is further subdivided into two branches: early and late.

At the moment, Protestantism is widespread mainly in the Scandinavian countries: Canada, USA, England, Switzerland, the Netherlands. In 1948 the World Council of Churches was established. The total number of Protestants is about 470 million. There are several denominations of this Christian trend: Baptists, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Calvinists.

In our time, the World Council of Protestant Churches is pursuing an active peacemaking policy. Representatives of this religion advocate the relaxation of international tension, support the efforts of states in defense of peace, etc.

The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism

Of course, over the centuries of schism, significant differences have arisen in the traditions of the churches. The basic principle of Christianity - the acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Son of God - they did not touch. However, in relation to certain events of the New and Old Testament there are often even mutually exclusive differences. In some cases, the methods of conducting various kinds of rituals and sacraments do not agree.

Christian cross: differences

Disagreements regarding the descent of the Holy Spirit are the main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The table also shows many other, albeit not very significant, but still discrepancies. They arose a long time ago, and, apparently, none of the churches expresses a special desire to resolve these contradictions.

There are differences in the attributes of different directions of Christianity. For example, the Catholics' cross has a simple quadrangular... The Orthodox have eight-pointed. The Orthodox Eastern Church believes that this type of crucifixion most accurately reflects the shape of the cross described in the New Testament. In addition to the main horizontal bar, it contains two more. The upper one represents a tablet nailed to the cross and containing the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." The lower oblique crossbar - a support for the feet of Christ - symbolizes the "righteous measure."

Cross Difference Chart

The image of the Savior on the crucifix used in the Sacraments is also what can be attributed to the theme "the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism." The western cross is a little different from the eastern one.

As you can see, in relation to the cross, there is also a quite noticeable difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The table shows this clearly.

As for the Protestants, they consider the cross to be a symbol of the Pope, and therefore practically do not use it.

Icons in different Christian directions

So, the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism (the table of comparisons of crosses confirms this) in relation to attributes is quite noticeable. There are even greater differences in these directions in the icons. The rules for depicting Christ may differ, Mother of God, saints, etc.

The main discrepancies are presented below.

The main difference Orthodox icons from Catholic is that it is written in strict accordance with the canons established in Byzantium. Western images of saints, Christ, etc., strictly speaking, have nothing to do with the icon. Typically, such paintings have a very broad plot and are painted by ordinary, non-church artists.

Protestants consider icons a pagan attribute and do not use them at all.

Monasticism

There is also a significant difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism with regard to leaving worldly life and dedicating oneself to serving God. comparison table presented above shows only the main discrepancies. But there are other differences that are also quite noticeable.

For example, in our country, each monastery is practically autonomous and is subject only to its own bishop. Catholics have a different organization in this regard. Monasteries are united into the so-called Orders, each of which has its own chapter and its own charter. These associations may be scattered all over the world, but nevertheless, they always have a common leadership.

Protestants, in contrast to the Orthodox and Catholics, reject monasticism altogether. One of the inspirers of this teaching - Luther - even married a nun.

Church Sacraments

There is a difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism in relation to the rules for conducting various kinds of rituals. In both of these Churches 7 sacraments are accepted. The difference is primarily in the meaning attached to the main Christian rites. Catholics believe that sacraments are valid whether a person is attuned to them or not. According to the Orthodox Church, baptism, chrismation, etc. will be effective only for believers who are completely disposed to them. Orthodox priests even often compare Catholic rituals with some kind of pagan magic ritual that operates regardless of whether a person believes in God or not.

The Protestant Church practices only two sacraments: baptism and communion. All the rest of the representatives of this trend are considered superficial and rejected.

Baptism

This main Christian sacrament is recognized by all churches: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism. Differences are only in the ways of performing the ceremony.

In Catholicism, babies are usually sprinkled or doused. According to the dogmas of the Orthodox Church, children are completely immersed in water. Recently, there has been some departure from this rule. However, now the ROC again returns in this rite to the ancient traditions established by the Byzantine priests.

The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism (crosses worn on the body, like large crosses, may contain an image of "orthodox" or "Western" Christ) in relation to the performance of this sacrament, thus, is not very significant, but it is still there.

Protestants usually perform the rite of baptism also with water. But in some denominations it is not used. The main difference between Protestant baptism and Orthodox and Catholic baptism is that it is carried out exclusively for adults.

Differences in the sacrament of the Eucharist

We have examined the main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. This is an attitude towards the descent of the Holy Spirit and the innocence of the birth of the Virgin Mary. Such significant discrepancies have emerged over the centuries of schism. Of course, they are also present in the conduct of one of the main Christian sacraments - the Eucharist. Catholic priests administer communion only with bread, and unleavened bread. This church product is called wafers. In Orthodoxy, the sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated with wine and ordinary yeast bread.

In Protestantism, not only members of the Church are allowed to receive communion, but also anyone who wishes. Representatives of this trend of Christianity celebrate the Eucharist in the same way as the Orthodox - with wine and bread.

Contemporary Church Relations

The split of Christianity took place almost a thousand years ago. And during this time, the churches of different directions did not manage to agree on the unification. Disagreements regarding the interpretation of Holy Scripture, paraphernalia and rituals, as you can see, have survived to this day and have even intensified over the centuries.

Relations between the two main confessions, Orthodox and Catholic, are also quite ambiguous in our time. Until the middle of the last century, serious tensions remained between the two churches. The key word in the relationship was heresy.

Recently, this situation has changed slightly. If earlier the Catholic Church considered Orthodox Christians to be almost a bunch of heretics and schismatics, then after the Second Vatican Council it recognized the Orthodox Sacraments as valid.

The Orthodox priests did not officially formalize the same attitude towards Catholicism. But a completely loyal acceptance of Western Christianity has always been traditional for our church. However, of course, some tension between Christian trends persists to this day. For example, our Russian theologian A.I.Osipov is not very good at Catholicism.

In his opinion, there is a more than noteworthy and serious difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Osipov considers many of the saints of the Western Church to be almost insane. He also warns the Russian Orthodox Church that, for example, cooperation with Catholics threatens the Orthodox with complete submission. However, he also repeatedly mentioned that there are wonderful people among Western Christians.

Thus, the main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism is the attitude towards the Trinity. The Eastern Church believes that the Holy Spirit comes only from the Father. Western - both from the Father and from the Son. There are other differences between these confessions. However, in any case, both churches are Christian and accept Jesus as the Savior of mankind, whose coming, and therefore eternal life for the righteous, is inevitable.

The difference between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church primarily lies in the recognition of the infallibility and supremacy of the Pope. After His Resurrection and Ascension, the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ began to call themselves Christians. This is how Christianity arose, which gradually spread to the west and east.

The history of the schism in the Christian church

As a result of the reformist views over 2000 years, various streams of Christianity have arisen:

• orthodoxy;
• Catholicism;
• Protestantism, which arose as an offshoot of the Catholic faith.

Each denomination subsequently splits into new denominations.

In Orthodoxy, the Greek, Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Ukrainian and other patriarchates arise, which have their own branches. Catholics are divided into Roman and Greek Catholics. It is difficult to list all the denominations in Protestantism.

All these religions are united by one root - Christ and faith in the Holy Trinity.

Read about other religions:

The Holy Trinity

The Roman Church was founded by the Apostle Peter, who spent in Rome the last days... Even then, the Pope was the head of the church, which means "Our Father" in translation. At that time, few priests were ready to assume the leadership of Christianity due to fear of persecution.

The Eastern rite of Christianity was led by the four oldest Churches:

• Constantinople, whose patriarch headed the eastern branch;
• Alexandria;
• Jerusalem, the first patriarch of which was Jesus' earthly brother James;
• Antioch.

Thanks to the educational mission of the Eastern priesthood, Christians from Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania joined them in the 4th-5th centuries. Subsequently, these countries declared themselves autocephalous, independent of the Orthodox movement.

On a purely human level, the newly formed churches began to have their own visions of development, rivalries arose, which intensified after Constantine the Great named Constantinople the capital of the empire in the fourth century.

After the fall of the power of Rome, all the supremacy passed to the Patriarch of Constantinople, which caused dissatisfaction with the Western rite, headed by the Pope.

Western Christians justified their right to rule by the fact that it was in Rome that the apostle Peter lived and was executed, to whom the Savior handed the keys to paradise.

St. Peter

Filioque

The differences between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church also relate to the filioque, the doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit, which became the root cause of the split in the Christian Church.

Christian theologians more than a thousand years ago did not come to a general conclusion about the procession of the Holy Spirit. The question is who is sending the Spirit - God the Father or God the Son.

The Apostle John reports (John 15:26) that Jesus will send the Comforter in the form of the Spirit of truth, coming from God the Father. In the Epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul directly confirms the procession of the Spirit from Jesus, who by breath sends the Holy Spirit into the hearts of Christians.

According to the Nicene formula, belief in the Holy Spirit sounds like an appeal to one of the hypostases of the Holy Trinity.

The fathers of the second Ecumenical Council expanded this appeal “I believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Life-giving Lord, coming from the Father”, while emphasizing the role of the Son, which was not accepted by the priests of Constantinople.

The naming of Photius as the Ecumenical Patriarch was perceived by the Roman rite as a belittling of their importance. Eastern worshipers pointed to the ugliness of Western priests who shaved their beards and observed fasting on Saturday, while they themselves began to surround themselves with special luxury at this time.

All these disagreements were collected drop by drop to express themselves in a huge explosion of schema.

The Patriarchy, headed by Nikita Stifat, openly calls the Latins heretics. The final straw that led to the rupture was the humiliation of the legate delegation at the 1054 negotiations in Constantinople.

Interesting! Who did not find general concept in matters of government, the priests were divided into the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Initially, Christian churches were called orthodox. After the division, the eastern Christian trend retained the name of orthodoxy or Orthodoxy, and the western trend began to be called Catholicism or the universal Church.

Differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism

1. In recognition of the infallibility and supremacy of the Pope and in relation to the filioque.
2. Orthodox canons deny purgatory, where a soul that has sinned with a not very serious sin is purified and sent to heaven. In Orthodoxy there are no big and small sins, sin is a sin, and it can only be cleansed by the Sacrament of Confession during the life of a sinner.
3. Catholics invented indulgences that give a "pass" to Heaven for good deeds, but the Bible writes that salvation is grace from God, and without true faith alone good deeds a place in paradise cannot be earned. (Ephesians 8: 2-9)

Orthodoxy and Catholicism: Similarities and Differences

Differences in rituals

There are two religions and a calendar for the calculation of services. Catholics live according to the Gregorian calendar, Orthodox Christians according to the Julian calendar. According to the Gregorian chronology, Jewish and Orthodox Easter can coincide, which is prohibited. By Julian calendar Divine services are conducted by the Russian, Georgian, Ukrainian, Serbian and Jerusalem Orthodox Churches.

There are also differences when writing icons. In the Orthodox ministry, this is a two-dimensional image; Catholicism practices naturalistic dimensions.

Eastern Christians have the opportunity to divorce and get married a second time; in the Western rite, divorce is prohibited.

The Byzantine rite of Lent begins on Monday, and the Latin one begins on Wednesday.

Orthodox Christians impose the sign of the cross on themselves from right to left, folding their fingers in a certain way, and Catholics do it the other way around, without focusing on the hands.

The interpretation of this action is interesting. Both religions agree that a demon sits on the left shoulder, an angel on the right.

Important! Catholics explain the direction of baptism by the fact that when the cross is imposed, there is a cleansing from sin to salvation. According to Orthodoxy, at baptism, a Christian proclaims the victory of God over the devil.

How do formerly united Christians relate to each other? Orthodoxy does not have liturgical communion with Catholics, joint prayers.

Orthodox churches do not rule over secular authorities, Catholicism asserts the supremacy of God and the subordination of the authorities to the Pope.

According to the Latin rite, any sin offends God, Orthodoxy claims that one cannot offend God. He is not mortal; by sin, a person harms only himself.

Everyday life: rites and services

Saints Saying About Separation and Unity

There are many differences between Christians of both rituals, but the main thing that unites them is the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ, faith in the One God and the Holy Trinity.

Saint Luke of Crimea rather harshly condemned the negative attitude towards Catholics, while separating the Vatican, the Pope and the cardinals from ordinary people who have true saving faith.

Saint Philaret of Moscow compared the division between Christians to partitions, while emphasizing that they could not reach heaven. According to Filaret, Christians cannot be called heretics if they believe in Jesus as Savior. The saint constantly prayed for the unification of all. He recognized Orthodoxy as a true teaching, but pointed out that God accepts other Christian movements with longsuffering.

Saint Mark of Ephesus calls Catholics heretics, since they deviated from the true faith, and urged them not to mute.

The Monk Ambrose of Optina also condemns the Latin rite for violating the ordinances of the apostles.

Righteous John of Kronstadt claims that Catholics, along with reformers, Protestants and Lutherans, fell away from Christ, based on the words of the Gospel. (Matv. 12:30)

How to measure the size of the faith of a particular ceremony, the truthfulness of accepting God the Father and walking under the power of the Holy Spirit in love for God the Son, Jesus Christ? God will show all this in the future.

Video about the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism? Andrey Kuraev

All three share the fundamental principles of Christianity: they accept the Nicene Creed, adopted by the first Council of the Church in 325, recognize the Holy Trinity, believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in His divine essence and the coming coming, accept the Bible as the Word of God and agree. that repentance and faith are necessary to have eternal life and avoid hell, do not recognize Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons Christian churches... Well, also, at the Catholics and Protestants, heretics were mercilessly burned at the stake.

And now in the table, see some of the differences from those that we managed to find and understand:

Which Faith Is Better? For the development of the state and life in pleasure - Protestantism is more acceptable. If a person is driven by the thought of suffering and redemption, then Orthodoxy and Catholicism. To each his own.

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