What is the difference between Catholics and Christians. What is the difference between Catholic churches and Orthodox churches
Recently, many people have developed a very dangerous stereotype that supposedly there is not much difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, Protestanism. Some people think that in reality the distance is significant, almost like heaven and earth, and maybe even more?
Others that p The Orthodox Church has preserved the Christian faith in purity and integrity, exactly as Christ revealed it, as the apostles conveyed it, as the ecumenical councils and teachers of the Church consolidated and explained it, in contrast to the Catholics, who distorted this teaching with a mass of heretical errors.
Third, that in the 21st century, that all beliefs are wrong! There cannot be 2 truths, 2 + 2 will always be 4, not 5, not 6 ... Truth is an axiom (not requiring proof), everything else is a theorem (until proven it cannot be recognized ...).
"So many Religions, so many different ones, do people really think that "THE" on top of the "Christian god" sits in a neighboring office with "Ra" and everyone else ... So many versions say that they are written by a person, and not " higher power"(what kind of state with 10 constitutions ??? What kind of President is unable to approve one of them all over the world ???)
“Religion, patriotism, team sports (football, etc.) give rise to aggression, all the power of the state rests on this hatred of “others”, of “not like that” ... Religion is no better than nationalism, only it is covered with a curtain of peace and it does not hit immediately, but with much greater consequences .. ".
And this is only a small part of the opinions.
Let's try to calmly consider what are the fundamental differences between the Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant denominations? And are they really that big?
The Christian faith from time immemorial has been attacked by opponents. In addition, attempts to interpret the Holy Scriptures in their own way were made at different times by different people. Perhaps this was the reason why the Christian faith was divided over time into Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. They are all very similar, but there are differences between them. Who are Protestants and how does their teaching differ from Catholic and Orthodox?
Christianity is the largest world religion in terms of the number of adherents (about 2.1 billion people worldwide), in Russia, Europe, North and South America, as well as in many African countries, it is the dominant religion. There are Christian communities in almost all countries of the world.
At the heart of Christian doctrine is faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of all mankind, as well as in the trinity of God (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit). It originated in the 1st century AD. in Palestine and within a few decades began to spread throughout the Roman Empire and within its sphere of influence. Subsequently, Christianity penetrated the countries of Western and Eastern Europe, missionary expeditions reached the countries of Asia and Africa. With the beginning of the Great geographical discoveries and the development of colonialism, it began to spread to other continents.
Today, there are three main areas of the Christian religion: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. The so-called ancient Eastern churches (Armenian Apostolic Church, Assyrian Church of the East, Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian and Indian Malabar Orthodox Churches) stand out in a separate group, which did not accept the decisions of the IV Ecumenical (Chalcedon) Council of 451.
Catholicism 
The split of the church into Western (Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) occurred in 1054. Catholicism is currently the largest Christian denomination in terms of the number of adherents. It is distinguished from other Christian denominations by several important dogmas: on the Immaculate Conception and Ascension of the Virgin Mary, the doctrine of purgatory, on indulgences, the dogma of the infallibility of the actions of the Pope as the head of the church, the assertion of the power of the Pope as the successor of the Apostle Peter, the indissolubility of the sacrament of marriage, the veneration of saints , martyrs and blessed.
Catholic teaching speaks of the procession of the Holy Spirit from God the Father and from God the Son. All Catholic priests take a vow of celibacy, baptism occurs through a libation of water on the head. The sign of the cross is made from left to right, most often with five fingers.
Catholics make up the majority of believers in Latin America, Southern Europe (Italy, France, Spain, Portugal), Ireland, Scotland, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Malta. A significant part of the population professes Catholicism in the USA, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Latvia, Lithuania, the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus. There are many Catholics in the Middle East in Lebanon, in Asia - in the Philippines and East Timor, partly in Vietnam, South Korea and China. The influence of Catholicism is great in some African countries (mainly in the former French colonies).
Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy was originally subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople, at present there are many local (autocephalous and autonomous) Orthodox churches, the highest hierarchs of which are called patriarchs (for example, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia). Jesus Christ is considered the head of the church, there is no figure like the Pope in Orthodoxy. The institution of monasticism plays an important role in the life of the church, while the clergy are divided into white (non-monastic) and black (monastic). Representatives of the white clergy can marry and have a family. Unlike Catholicism, Orthodoxy does not recognize the dogmas about the infallibility of the Pope and his primacy over all Christians, about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son, about purgatory and about the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary.
The sign of the cross in Orthodoxy is done from right to left, with three fingers (three fingers). In some currents of Orthodoxy (Old Believers, co-religionists) two fingers are used - the sign of the cross with two fingers.
Orthodox make up the majority of believers in Russia, in the eastern regions of Ukraine and Belarus, in Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Macedonia, Georgia, Abkhazia, Serbia, Romania, and Cyprus. A significant percentage of the Orthodox population is represented in Bosnia and Herzegovina, parts of Finland, northern Kazakhstan, some US states, Estonia, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan and Albania. There are also Orthodox communities in some African countries.
Protestantism
The formation of Protestantism dates back to the 16th century and is associated with the Reformation - a broad movement against the dominance of the Catholic Church in Europe. IN modern world there are many Protestant churches for which there is no single center.
Among the original forms of Protestantism, Anglicanism, Calvinism, Lutheranism, Zwinglianism, Anabaptism, and Mennonism stand out. Subsequently, such movements as Quakers, Pentecostals, the Salvation Army, Evangelicals, Adventists, Baptists, Methodists and many others have developed. Such religious associations, such as, for example, Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses, are classified by some researchers as Protestant churches, others as sects.
Most Protestants recognize the common Christian dogma of the trinity of God and the authority of the Bible, however, unlike Catholics and Orthodox, they oppose the interpretation of Holy Scripture. Most Protestants deny icons, monasticism and the veneration of saints, believing that a person can be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Some of the Protestant churches are more conservative, some are more liberal (this difference in views on marriage and divorce is especially visible), many of them are active in missionary work. Such a branch as Anglicanism, in many of its manifestations, is close to Catholicism, and the question of recognition by the Anglicans of the authority of the Pope is currently underway.
There are Protestants in most countries of the world. They make up the majority of believers in Great Britain, the USA, the Scandinavian countries, Australia, New Zealand, and there are also many of them in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, and Estonia. A growing percentage of Protestants is observed in South Korea, as well as in such traditionally Catholic countries as Brazil and Chile. Protestantism of its own (such as, for example, kimbangism) exist in Africa.
COMPARATIVE TABLE OF DOCUMENTARY, ORGANIZATIONAL AND RITUAL DIFFERENCES IN ORTHODOXY, CATHOLICITY AND PROTESTANTISM
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ORTHODOXY AND PROTESTANTISM: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
How did the branches come about?
The Orthodox Church has preserved intact the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to the apostles. But the Lord Himself warned His disciples that from among those who will be with them, people will appear who want to distort the truth and cloud it with their inventions: Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (Mt. 7 , 15).
And the apostles also warned about this. For example, the apostle Peter wrote: you will have false teachers who will introduce destructive heresies and, denying the Lord who bought them, will bring swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their depravity, and through them the path of truth will be reproached... Leaving the straight path, they went astray... the darkness of eternal darkness is prepared for them(2 Pet. 2 , 1-2, 15, 17).
Heresy is a lie that a person consciously follows. The path that Jesus Christ opened requires selflessness and effort from a person in order to show whether he really entered this path with a firm intention and out of love for the truth. It is not enough just to call yourself a Christian, you have to prove with your deeds, words and thoughts, with your whole life that you are a Christian. He who loves the truth is ready to give up all lies in his thoughts and his life for the sake of it, so that the truth enters into him, cleanses and sanctifies him.
But not everyone enters this path with pure intentions. And so the subsequent life in the Church reveals their bad mood. And those who love themselves more than God fall away from the Church.
There is a sin of deed, when a person violates the commandments of God by deed, and there is a sin of the mind, when a person prefers his lie to Divine truth. The second is called heresy. And among those who called themselves Christians at different times, both people betrayed by the sin of the deed and people betrayed by the sin of the mind were revealed. Both of these people oppose God. Either person, if he made a firm choice in favor of sin, cannot remain in the Church, and falls away from it. So throughout history Orthodox Church all those who chose sin departed.
The apostle John spoke of them: They went out from us, but were not ours: for if they were ours, they would have remained with us; but they went out, and through that it was revealed that not all of our
(1 Jn. 2
, 19).
Their fate is unenviable, because the Scripture says that those who betray heresy... The kingdom of God will not be inherited (Gal. 5 , 20-21).
Precisely because a person is free, he can always make a choice and use freedom either for good, choosing the path to God, or for evil, choosing sin. This is the reason why false teachers arose and those who believed them more than Christ and His Church arose.
When heretics appeared who brought lies, the holy fathers of the Orthodox Church began to explain their delusions to them and urged them to abandon fiction and turn to the truth. Some, being convinced by their words, were corrected, but not all. And about those who persisted in a lie, the Church pronounces its judgment, testifying that they are not true followers of Christ and members of the community of the faithful founded by Him. This is how the apostolic advice was fulfilled: Turn away the heretic after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a one has become corrupt and sins, being self-condemned.(Tit. 3 , 10-11).
There have been many such people in history. The most widespread and numerous of the communities they founded that have survived to this day are the Monophysite Eastern Churches (they originated in the 5th century), the Roman Catholic Church (which broke away from the Universal Orthodox Church in the 11th century) and the Churches that call themselves Protestant. Today we will consider what is the difference between the path of Protestantism and the path of the Orthodox Church.
Protestantism
If a branch breaks off from a tree, then, having lost contact with vital juices, it will inevitably begin to dry out, lose its leaves, become brittle and easily break at the first onslaught.
The same can be seen in the life of all communities that have separated from the Orthodox Church. Just as a broken branch cannot hold onto its leaves, so those who are separated from true ecclesiastical unity can no longer maintain their inner unity. This happens because, having left the family of God, they lose touch with the life-giving and saving power of the Holy Spirit, and that sinful desire to oppose the truth and put themselves above others, which led them to fall away from the Church, continues to operate among those who have fallen away, turning already against them and leading to ever new internal divisions.
So, in the 11th century, the Local Roman Church separated from the Orthodox Church, and at the beginning of the 16th century, a significant part of the people separated from it itself, following the ideas of the former Catholic priest Luther and his associates. They formed their own communities, which they began to consider the "Church". This movement is collectively called the Protestants, and their branch itself is called the Reformation.
Martin Luther. Portrait
In turn, the Protestants also did not maintain internal unity, but even more began to divide into different currents and directions, each of which claimed that it was the real Church of Jesus Christ. They continue to divide to this day, and now there are already more than twenty thousand of them in the world.
Each of their directions has its own peculiarities of doctrine, which would take a long time to describe, and here we will limit ourselves to analyzing only the main features that are characteristic of all Protestant nominations and which distinguish them from the Orthodox Church.
The main reason for the emergence of Protestantism was the protest against the teachings and religious practices of the Roman Catholic Church.
As St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) notes, indeed, “many delusions crept into the Roman Church. Luther would have done well if, having rejected the errors of the Latins, he had replaced these errors with the true teaching of the Holy Church of Christ; but he replaced them with his delusions; some errors of Rome, very important, he fully followed, and some strengthened. “Protestants rebelled against the ugly power and divinity of the popes; but since they acted on the impulse of passions, drowning in debauchery, and not with the direct goal of striving for the holy Truth, they were not worthy to see it.
They abandoned the erroneous idea that the Pope is the head of the Church, but retained the Catholic delusion that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Scripture
The Protestants formulated the principle: “only Scripture”, which means that they recognize the authority only for the Bible, and they reject the Holy Tradition of the Church.
And in this they contradict themselves, because the Holy Scripture itself indicates the need to venerate the Holy Tradition coming from the apostles: stand and hold the traditions which you have been taught either by word or by our message(2 Thess. 2 15), writes the apostle Paul.
If a person writes some text and distributes it to different people, and then asks them to explain how they understood it, then it will surely turn out that someone understood the text correctly, and someone incorrectly, putting their own meaning into these words. It is known that any text may have different interpretations. They may be true or they may be wrong. It is the same with the text of Holy Scripture, if it is torn away from Holy Tradition. Indeed, Protestants think that one should understand Scripture in any way one wants. But such an approach cannot help to find the truth.
Here is how Saint Nicholas of Japan wrote about this: “Japanese Protestants sometimes come to me and ask me to explain some place in the Holy Scriptures. "Yes, you have your missionary teachers - ask them," I say to them. "What do they answer?" - "We asked them, they say: understand, as you know; but I need to know the true thought of God, and not my personal opinion" ... It's not like that with us, everything is light and reliable, clear and solid - because we, apart from the Holy We still accept Holy Tradition, and Holy Tradition is a living, uninterrupted voice... of our Church from the time of Christ and His Apostles until now, which will be until the end of the world. It is on it that the entire Holy Scripture is affirmed.
The Apostle Peter himself testifies that no prophecy in Scripture can be solved by oneself, for prophecy was never uttered by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke it, being moved by the Holy Spirit(2 Pet. 1 , 20-21). Accordingly, only the holy fathers, moved by the same Holy Spirit, can reveal to man the true understanding of the Word of God.
Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are one inseparable whole, and so it was from the very beginning.
Not in writing, but orally, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to the apostles how to understand the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament (Lk. 24 27), and they taught the first Orthodox Christians by word of mouth. Protestants wish to imitate in their structure the early apostolic communities, but in the early years the early Christians had no New Testament scripture at all, and everything was handed down by word of mouth, as a tradition.
The Bible was given by God for the Orthodox Church, it was in accordance with the Holy Tradition that the Orthodox Church at its Councils approved the composition of the Bible, it was the Orthodox Church that, long before the appearance of the Protestants, lovingly preserved the Holy Scriptures in its communities.
Protestants, using the Bible, not written by them, not collected by them, not saved by them, reject the Holy Tradition, and thereby close the true understanding of the Word of God for themselves. Therefore, they often argue about the Bible and often come up with their own, human traditions, which have no connection either with the apostles or with the Holy Spirit, and fall, according to the word of the apostle, into empty deceit, according to human tradition .., and not according to Christ(Col. 2:8).
Sacraments
Protestants rejected the priesthood and rites, not believing that God could act through them, and even if they left something similar, then only the name, believing that these were only symbols and reminders of those who remained in the past. historical events and not the holy reality itself. Instead of bishops and priests, they got themselves pastors who have no connection with the apostles, no succession of grace, as in the Orthodox Church, where on every bishop and priest is the blessing of God, which can be traced from our days to Jesus Christ Himself. The Protestant pastor is only an orator and administrator of the life of the community.
As St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) says, “Luther… vehemently rejecting the lawless power of the popes, rejected the legitimate one, rejected the episcopal dignity itself, the very ordination, despite the fact that the establishment of both belongs to the apostles themselves… rejected the Sacrament of Confession, although all Holy Scripture testifies that it is impossible to receive remission of sins without confessing them.” Protestants also rejected other sacred rites.
Veneration of the Virgin and Saints
The Blessed Virgin Mary, who gave birth in human form to the Lord Jesus Christ, prophetically said: from now on all generations will please me(OK. 1 , 48). This was said about the true followers of Christ - Orthodox Christians. Indeed, from that time until now, from generation to generation, all Orthodox Christians have venerated the Blessed Virgin Mary. And the Protestants do not want to honor and please her, contrary to Scripture.
The Virgin Mary, like all saints, that is, people who have passed to the end along the path of salvation opened by Christ, have united with God and are always in harmony with Him.
The Mother of God and all the saints became the closest and most beloved friends of God. Even a man, if his beloved friend asks him for something, he will definitely try to fulfill it, likewise, God willingly listens and soon fulfills the requests of the saints. It is known that even during his earthly life, when they asked, He certainly responded. So, for example, at the request of the Mother, He helped the poor newlyweds and performed a miracle at the feast in order to save them from shame (Jn. 2 , 1-11).
Scripture says that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for with Him all are alive(Luke 20:38). Therefore, after death, people do not disappear without a trace, but their living souls are maintained by God, and those who are holy retain the opportunity to communicate with Him. And the Scripture directly says that the saints who have fallen asleep make requests to God and He hears them (see: Rev. 6 , 9-10). Therefore, Orthodox Christians venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints and turn to them with requests that they intercede before God for us. Experience shows that many healings, deliverance from death and other help are received by those who resort to their prayerful intercession.
For example, in 1395, the great Mongol commander Tamerlane went to Russia with a huge army to capture and destroy its cities, including the capital, Moscow. The Russians did not have enough forces to resist such an army. Orthodox residents of Moscow began to earnestly ask the Most Holy Theotokos to pray to God for their salvation from the impending disaster. And so, one morning, Tamerlane unexpectedly announced to his military leaders that it was necessary to turn the army around and go back. And when asked about the reason, he answered that at night in a dream he saw a great mountain, on top of which stood a beautiful radiant woman who ordered him to leave the Russian lands. And, although Tamerlane was not Orthodox Christian, out of fear and respect for the holiness and spiritual power of the Virgin Mary who appeared, he submitted to Her.
Prayers for the Dead
Those Orthodox Christians who during their lifetime could not overcome sin and become saints do not disappear after death either, but they themselves need our prayers. Therefore, the Orthodox Church prays for the dead, believing that through these prayers the Lord sends relief for the posthumous fate of our deceased loved ones. But the Protestants do not want to admit this either, and refuse to pray for the dead.
Posts
The Lord Jesus Christ, speaking of his followers, said: days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days(Mk. 2 , 20).
The Lord Jesus Christ was taken away from his disciples the first time on Wednesday, when Judas betrayed Him and the villains seized Him to be taken to court, and the second time on Friday, when the villains crucified Him on the Cross. Therefore, in fulfillment of the words of the Savior, since ancient times, Orthodox Christians have been fasting every Wednesday and Friday, abstaining for the sake of the Lord from eating products of animal origin, as well as from all kinds of entertainment.
The Lord Jesus Christ fasted for forty days and nights (Matt. 4 2), setting an example for His disciples (cf. Jn. 13 , 15). And the apostles, as the Bible says, served the Lord and fasted(Acts. 13 , 2). Therefore, Orthodox Christians, in addition to one-day fasts, also have multi-day fasts, of which the main one is Great Lent.
Protestants deny fasting and fasting days.
sacred images
Whoever wants to worship the true God must not worship false gods, which are either invented by people, or those spirits who have fallen away from God and become evil. These evil spirits often appeared to people in order to mislead them and distract them from worshiping the true God to worshiping themselves.
However, having commanded to build a temple, the Lord even in those ancient times commanded that images of cherubim be made in it (see: Exod. 25, 18-22) - spirits who remained faithful to God and became holy angels. Therefore, from the very first times, Orthodox Christians made sacred images of saints united with the Lord. In the ancient underground catacombs, where in the II-III centuries Christians persecuted by pagans gathered for prayer and sacred rites, they depicted the Virgin Mary, the apostles, scenes from the Gospel. These ancient sacred images have survived to this day. In the same way, in the modern churches of the Orthodox Church there are the same sacred images, icons. When looking at them, it is easier for a person to ascend with his soul to prototype, to concentrate their forces on a prayer appeal to him. After such prayers before the holy icons, God often sends help to people, often miraculous healings occur. In particular, Orthodox Christians prayed for deliverance from the army of Tamerlane in 1395 at one of the icons of the Mother of God - Vladimirskaya.
However, Protestants, in their delusion, reject the veneration of sacred images, not understanding the difference between them and between idols. This comes from their erroneous understanding of the Bible, as well as from the corresponding spiritual mood - after all, only one who does not understand the difference between a holy and an evil spirit can fail to notice the fundamental difference between the image of a saint and an image of an evil spirit.
Other differences
Rev. Maximus denounces the Monothelite heresy before the emperor
Protestants believe that if a person recognizes Jesus Christ as God and Savior, then he already becomes saved and holy, and no special deeds are needed for this. And Orthodox Christians, following the Apostle James, believe that faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself(Jac. 2, 17). And the Savior Himself said: Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord, Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven(Matthew 7:21). This means, according to Orthodox Christians, that it is necessary to fulfill the commandments that express the will of the Father, and thus prove one's faith by deeds.
Also, the Protestants do not have monasticism and monasteries, while the Orthodox have them. The monks work zealously to fulfill all the commandments of Christ. And besides, they take three additional vows for the sake of God: a vow of celibacy, a vow of non-possession (lack of their own property) and a vow of obedience to a spiritual leader. In this they imitate the apostle Paul, who was celibate, unpossessed, and completely obedient to the Lord. The monastic path is considered to be higher and more glorious than the path of a lay person, a family man, but a lay person can also be saved, become a saint. Among the apostles of Christ there were also married people, namely, the apostles Peter and Philip.
When Saint Nicholas of Japan was asked at the end of the 19th century why, although the Orthodox in Japan have only two missionaries, and the Protestants have six hundred, nevertheless, more Japanese converted to Orthodoxy than to Protestantism, he replied: “It’s not about people, but in teaching. If a Japanese, before accepting Christianity, thoroughly studies it and compares it: in the Catholic mission he recognizes Catholicism, in the Protestant mission - Protestantism, we have our teaching, then, as far as I know, he always accepts Orthodoxy. What is this? Yes, the fact that in Orthodoxy Christ's teaching is kept pure and whole; we added nothing to it like the Catholics, we didn’t take anything away like the Protestants.”
Indeed, Orthodox Christians are convinced, as St. Theophan the Recluse says, of this immutable truth: “What God has revealed and what God has commanded, nothing should be added to it, nor should anything be taken away from it. This applies to Catholics and Protestants. Those add everything, and these subtract ... The Catholics have muddied the apostolic tradition. The Protestants undertook to improve the matter - and made it even worse. Catholics have one pope, but Protestants have a pope for every Protestant.”
Therefore, everyone who is really interested in the truth, and not in their thoughts, both in past centuries and in our time, will certainly find the way to the Orthodox Church, and often even without any efforts of Orthodox Christians, God Himself leads such people to the truth. For example, let's cite two stories that happened recently, the participants and witnesses of which are still alive.
US case
In the 1960s in the US state of California, in the cities of Ben Lomon and Santa Barbara large group young Protestants came to the conclusion that all the Protestant Churches known to them cannot be the real Church, since they assume that after the apostles the Church of Christ disappeared, and it was allegedly revived only in the 16th century by Luther and other leaders of Protestantism. But such an idea contradicts the words of Christ that the gates of hell will not prevail against his Church. And then these young people began to study the historical books of the Christians, from the earliest antiquity, from the first century to the second, then to the third, and so on, tracing the uninterrupted history of the Church founded by Christ and His apostles. And now, thanks to their many years of research, these young Americans themselves became convinced that such a Church is the Orthodox Church, although none of the Orthodox Christians communicated with them and did not inspire them with such an idea, but the history of Christianity itself testified to them this truth. And then they came into contact with the Orthodox Church in 1974, all of them, consisting of more than two thousand people, accepted Orthodoxy.
Case in Benini
Another story happened in West Africa, in Benin. There were no completely Orthodox Christians in this country, most of the inhabitants were pagans, a few more were Muslims, and some were Catholics or Protestants.
One of them, a man named Optat Bekhanzin, had a misfortune in 1969: his five-year-old son Eric became seriously ill and was paralyzed. Behanzin took his son to the hospital, but the doctors said that the boy could not be cured. Then the grief-stricken father turned to his Protestant "Church", began to attend prayer meetings in the hope that God would heal his son. But these prayers were fruitless. After that, Optat gathered some close people at his home, persuading them to pray together to Jesus Christ for the healing of Eric. And after their prayer, a miracle happened: the boy was healed; this strengthened the small community. Subsequently, more and more miraculous healings took place through their prayers to God. Therefore, more and more people went over to them - both Catholics and Protestants.
In 1975, the community decided to formalize itself as an independent church, and the believers decided to pray and fast intensely in order to know the will of God. And at that moment, Eric Behanzin, who was already eleven years old, received a revelation: when asked how they would name their church community, God answered: “My Church is called the Orthodox Church.” This surprised the people of Beninese, because none of them, including Eric himself, had ever heard of the existence of such a Church, and they did not even know the word "Orthodox". However, they called their community the "Orthodox Church of Benin", and only twelve years later were they able to meet Orthodox Christians. And when they learned about the real Orthodox Church, which has been called that since ancient times and originates from the apostles, they all joined together, consisting of more than 2,500 people, converted to the Orthodox Church. This is how the Lord responds to the requests of all who really seek the path of holiness that leads to the truth, and brings such a person into His Church.
The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism
The reason for the split of the Christian Church into Western (Catholicism) and Eastern (Orthodoxy) was the political split that occurred at the turn of the 8th-9th centuries, when Constantinople lost the lands of the western part of the Roman Empire. In the summer of 1054, the Pope's ambassador to Constantinople, Cardinal Humbert, anathematized the Byzantine patriarch Michael Kirularius and his followers. A few days later, a council was held in Constantinople, at which Cardinal Humbert and his henchmen were anathematized in return. Disagreements between representatives of the Roman and Greek churches escalated due to political differences: Byzantium argued with Rome for power. The distrust of East and West spilled over into open hostility after the crusade against Byzantium in 1202, when Western Christians went against their eastern brothers in faith. Only in 1964 did the Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and Pope Paul VI officially abolish the anathema of 1054. However, differences in tradition have become strongly ingrained over the centuries.
Church organization
The Orthodox Church includes several independent Churches. In addition to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), there are Georgian, Serbian, Greek, Romanian and others. These Churches are governed by patriarchs, archbishops and metropolitans. Not all Orthodox Churches have communion with each other in the sacraments and prayers (which, according to the catechism of Metropolitan Philaret, is necessary condition in order for the individual Churches to be part of the one Universal Church). Also, not all Orthodox Churches recognize each other as true churches. Orthodox believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the Church.
Unlike the Orthodox Church, Catholicism is one Universal Church. All its parts in different countries of the world are in communion with each other, and also follow a single dogma and recognize the Pope as their head. In the Catholic Church, there are communities within the Catholic Church (rites) that differ from each other in forms of liturgical worship and church discipline. There are Roman rites, Byzantine rites, etc. Therefore, there are Roman rite Catholics, Byzantine rite Catholics, etc., but they are all members of the same Church. Catholics consider the Pope to be the head of the Church.
worship
The main service for the Orthodox is the Divine Liturgy, for Catholics the Mass (Catholic Liturgy).
During the service in the Russian Orthodox Church, it is customary to stand as a sign of humility before God. In other Eastern Rite Churches, it is permitted to sit during worship. As a sign of unconditional obedience, the Orthodox kneel. Contrary to popular belief, it is customary for Catholics to sit and stand in worship. There are services that Catholics listen to on their knees.
Mother of God
In Orthodoxy, the Mother of God is primarily the Mother of God. She is revered as a saint, but she was born in original sin, like all mere mortals, and reposed like all people. Unlike Orthodoxy, in Catholicism it is believed that the Virgin Mary was conceived immaculately without original sin and at the end of her life she was raised alive to heaven.
Symbol of faith
Orthodox believe that the Holy Spirit comes only from the Father. Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and from the Son.
Sacraments
The Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church recognize seven main Sacraments: Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation), Communion (Eucharist), Repentance (Confession), Priesthood (Ordination), Consecration (Unction) and Marriage (Wedding). The rituals of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches are almost identical, the differences are only in the interpretation of the sacraments. For example, during the sacrament of baptism in the Orthodox Church, a child or an adult plunges into the font. In a Catholic church, an adult or a child is sprinkled with water. The Sacrament of Communion (Eucharist) is performed on leavened bread. Both the priesthood and the laity partake of both the Blood (wine) and the Body of Christ (bread). In Catholicism, the sacrament of communion is performed on unleavened bread. The priesthood partakes of both the Blood and the Body, while the laity receive only the Body of Christ.
Purgatory
Orthodoxy does not believe in the existence of purgatory after death. Although it is assumed that souls may be in an intermediate state, hoping to go to heaven after the Last Judgment. In Catholicism, there is a dogma about purgatory, where souls dwell in anticipation of paradise.
Faith and Morality
The Orthodox Church only recognizes the decisions of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, which took place from 49 to 787. Catholics recognize the Pope as their head and share the same faith. Although within the Catholic Church there are communities with different forms of liturgical worship: Byzantine, Roman and others. The Catholic Church recognizes the decisions of the 21st Ecumenical Council, the last of which took place in 1962-1965.
Under Orthodoxy, divorces are allowed in individual cases decided by the priests. The Orthodox clergy are divided into "white" and "black". Representatives of the "white clergy" are allowed to marry. True, then they will not be able to receive episcopal and higher dignity. "Black clergy" are monks who take a vow of celibacy. The sacrament of marriage among Catholics is considered to be concluded for life and divorces are prohibited. All Catholic monastic clergy take a vow of celibacy.
sign of the cross
Orthodox are baptized only from right to left with three fingers. Catholics are baptized from left to right. They do not have a single rule, as when creating a cross, you need to fold your fingers, so several options have taken root.
Icons
On Orthodox icons, saints are written in two-dimensional image according to the tradition of reverse perspective. Thus, it is emphasized that the action takes place in another dimension - in the world of the spirit. Orthodox icons monumental, strict and symbolic. Among Catholics, saints are written in a naturalistic way, often in the form of statues. Catholic icons are written in direct perspective.
Sculptural images of Christ, the Virgin and saints, accepted in Catholic churches, are not accepted by the Eastern Church.
crucifixion
The Orthodox cross has three crossbars, one of which is short and is at the top, symbolizing the tablet with the inscription "This is Jesus, King of the Jews", which was nailed over the head of the crucified Christ. The lower crossbar is a foot and one of its ends looks up, pointing to one of the thieves crucified next to Christ, who believed and ascended with him. The second end of the crossbar points down, as a sign that the second thief, who allowed himself to slander Jesus, ended up in hell. On the Orthodox cross, each leg of Christ is nailed with a separate nail. Unlike the Orthodox cross, the Catholic cross consists of two crossbars. If Jesus is depicted on it, then both feet of Jesus are nailed to the base of the cross with one nail. Christ on Catholic crucifixes, as well as on icons, is depicted in a naturalistic way - his body sags under weight, torment and suffering are noticeable in the whole image.
Wake for the deceased
Orthodox commemorate the dead on the 3rd, 9th and 40th days, then a year later. Catholics commemorate the dead on Memorial Day, November 1st. November 1st is an official holiday in some European countries. The dead are also commemorated on the 3rd, 7th and 30th days after death, but this tradition is not strictly observed.
Despite existing differences, both Catholics and Orthodox are united by the fact that they profess and preach throughout the world one faith and one teaching of Jesus Christ.
conclusions:
- In Orthodoxy, it is customary to consider that the Universal Church is "embodied" in each local Church, headed by a bishop. Catholics add to this that in order to belong to the Universal Church, the local Church must have communion with the local Roman Catholic Church.
- World Orthodoxy has no single leadership. It is divided into several independent churches. World Catholicism is one church.
- The Catholic Church recognizes the primacy of the Pope in matters of faith and discipline, morality and government. Orthodox churches do not recognize the primacy of the Pope.
- Churches differently see the role of the Holy Spirit and the mother of Christ, who in Orthodoxy is called the Mother of God, and in Catholicism the Virgin Mary. In Orthodoxy there is no concept of purgatory.
- The same sacraments operate in the Orthodox and Catholic churches, but the ceremonies of their implementation are different.
- Unlike Catholicism, in Orthodoxy there is no dogma about purgatory.
- Orthodox and Catholics make the cross in different ways.
- Orthodoxy allows divorce, and its "white clergy" can marry. In Catholicism, divorce is prohibited, and all monastic clergy take a vow of celibacy.
- The Orthodox and Catholic Churches recognize the decisions of different Ecumenical Councils.
- Unlike the Orthodox, Catholics paint saints on icons in a naturalistic way. Also among Catholics, sculptural images of Christ, the Virgin and saints are common.
So ... Everyone understands that Catholicism and Orthodoxy, as well as Protestantism, are directions of one religion - Christianity. Despite the fact that both Catholicism and Orthodoxy are related to Christianity, there are significant differences between them.
If Catholicism is represented by just one church, and Orthodoxy consists of several autocephalous churches, homogeneous in their doctrine and structure, then Protestantism is a multitude of churches that can differ from each other both in organization and in individual details of doctrine.
Protestantism is characterized by the absence of a fundamental opposition of the clergy to the laity, the rejection of a complex church hierarchy, a simplified cult, the absence of monasticism, celibacy; in Protestantism there is no cult of the Virgin, saints, angels, icons, the number of sacraments is reduced to two (baptism and communion).
The main source of doctrine is Holy Scripture. Protestantism is spread mainly in the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Scandinavian countries and Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Latvia, Estonia. Thus, Protestants are Christians who belong to one of several independent Christian churches.
They are Christians and, along with Catholics and Orthodox, share the fundamental principles of Christianity.
However, the views of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants differ on some issues. Protestants value the authority of the Bible above all else. Orthodox and Catholics, on the other hand, value their traditions more highly and believe that only the leaders of these Churches can interpret the Bible correctly. Despite their differences, all Christians agree with the prayer of Christ recorded in the Gospel of John (17:20-21): “I do not only pray for them, but also for those who believe in Me, according to their word, that they may all be one ... ".
Which is better, depending on which side you look at. 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 Catholicism?
For me personally, it is important that P
Orthodoxy is the only religion that teaches that God is Love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:8). And this is not one of the qualities, but is the main revelation of God about Himself - that He is all-good, unceasing and unchanging, all-perfect Love, and that all His actions, in relation to man and the world, are an expression of only love. Therefore, such “feelings” of God as anger, punishment, revenge, etc., which the books of Holy Scripture and the holy fathers often speak of, are nothing but ordinary anthropomorphisms used with the aim of giving the widest possible circle of people, in the most accessible form, an idea of the providence of God in the world. Therefore, says St. John Chrysostom (IV century): “when you hear the words: “rage and anger”, in relation to God, then do not understand anything human by them: these are words of condescension. The deity is foreign to all such things; it is said so in order to bring the subject closer to the understanding of more rude people ”(Conversation on Ps. VI. 2. // Creations. T.V. Book 1. St. Petersburg 1899, p. 49).
Catholicism and Orthodoxy, as well as Protestantism, are directions of one religion - Christianity. Despite the fact that both Catholicism and Orthodoxy are related to Christianity, there are significant differences between them.
The reason for the split of the Christian Church into Western (Catholicism) and Eastern (Orthodoxy) was the political split that occurred at the turn of the 8th-9th centuries, when Constantinople lost the lands of the western part of the Roman Empire. In the summer of 1054, the Pope's ambassador to Constantinople, Cardinal Humbert, anathematized the Byzantine patriarch Michael Kirularius and his followers. A few days later, a council was held in Constantinople, at which Cardinal Humbert and his henchmen were anathematized in return. Disagreements between representatives of the Roman and Greek churches escalated due to political differences: Byzantium argued with Rome for power. The distrust of East and West spilled over into open hostility after the crusade against Byzantium in 1202, when Western Christians went against their eastern brothers in faith. Only in 1964 did the Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and Pope Paul VI officially cancel the anathema of 1054. However, differences in tradition have become strongly ingrained over the centuries.
Church organization
The Orthodox Church includes several independent Churches. In addition to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), there are Georgian, Serbian, Greek, Romanian and others. These Churches are governed by patriarchs, archbishops and metropolitans. Not all Orthodox Churches have communion with each other in the sacraments and prayers (which, according to the catechism of Metropolitan Philaret, is a necessary condition for individual Churches to be part of the one Ecumenical Church). Also, not all Orthodox Churches recognize each other as true churches. Orthodox believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the Church.
Unlike the Orthodox Church, Catholicism is one Universal Church. All its parts in different countries of the world are in communion with each other, and also follow the same dogma and recognize the Pope as their head. In the Catholic Church, there are communities within the Catholic Church (rites) that differ from each other in forms of liturgical worship and church discipline. There are Roman rites, Byzantine rites, etc. Therefore, there are Roman rite Catholics, Byzantine rite Catholics, etc., but they are all members of the same Church. Catholics consider the Pope to be the head of the Church.
worship
The main service for the Orthodox is the Divine Liturgy, for Catholics - the Mass (Catholic Liturgy).
During the service in the Russian Orthodox Church, it is customary to stand as a sign of humility before God. In other Eastern Rite Churches, it is permitted to sit during worship. As a sign of unconditional obedience, the Orthodox kneel. Contrary to popular belief, it is customary for Catholics to sit and stand in worship. There are services that Catholics listen to on their knees.
Mother of God
In Orthodoxy, the Mother of God is primarily the Mother of God. She is revered as a saint, but she was born in original sin, like all mere mortals, and reposed like all people. Unlike Orthodoxy, in Catholicism it is believed that the Virgin Mary was conceived immaculately without original sin and at the end of her life she was raised alive to heaven.
Symbol of faith
Orthodox believe that the Holy Spirit comes only from the Father. Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and from the Son.
Sacraments
The Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church recognize seven main Sacraments: Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation), Communion (Eucharist), Repentance (Confession), Priesthood (Ordination), Consecration (Unction) and Marriage (Wedding). The rituals of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches are almost identical, the differences are only in the interpretation of the sacraments. For example, during the sacrament of baptism in the Orthodox Church, a child or an adult plunges into the font. In a Catholic church, an adult or a child is sprinkled with water. The Sacrament of Communion (Eucharist) is performed on leavened bread. Both the priesthood and the laity partake of both the Blood (wine) and the Body of Christ (bread). In Catholicism, the sacrament of communion is performed on unleavened bread. The priesthood partakes of both the Blood and the Body, while the laity only partake of the Body of Christ.
Purgatory
Orthodoxy does not believe in the existence of purgatory after death. Although it is assumed that souls may be in an intermediate state, hoping to go to heaven after the Last Judgment. In Catholicism, there is a dogma about purgatory, where souls dwell in anticipation of paradise.
Faith and Morality
The Orthodox Church only recognizes the decisions of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, which took place from 49 to 787. Catholics recognize the Pope as their head and share the same faith. Although within the Catholic Church there are communities with different forms of liturgical worship: Byzantine, Roman and others. The Catholic Church recognizes the decisions of the 21st Ecumenical Council, the last of which took place in 1962-1965.
Within the framework of Orthodoxy, divorces are allowed in individual cases, which are decided by priests. The Orthodox clergy are divided into "white" and "black". Representatives of the "white clergy" are allowed to marry. True, then they will not be able to receive episcopal and higher dignity. "Black clergy" are monks who take a vow of celibacy. The sacrament of marriage among Catholics is considered to be concluded for life and divorces are prohibited. All Catholic monastic clergy take a vow of celibacy.
sign of the cross
Orthodox are baptized only from right to left with three fingers. Catholics are baptized from left to right. They do not have a single rule, as when creating a cross, you need to fold your fingers, so several options have taken root.
Icons
On Orthodox icons, saints are written in two-dimensional image according to the tradition of reverse perspective. Thus, it is emphasized that the action takes place in another dimension - in the world of the spirit. Orthodox icons are monumental, strict and symbolic. Among Catholics, saints are written in a naturalistic way, often in the form of statues. Catholic icons are written in direct perspective.
Sculptural images of Christ, the Virgin and saints, accepted in Catholic churches, are not accepted by the Eastern Church.
crucifixion
The Orthodox cross has three crossbars, one of which is short and is at the top, symbolizing the tablet with the inscription "This is Jesus, King of the Jews", which was nailed over the head of the crucified Christ. The lower crossbar is a foot and one of its ends looks up, pointing to one of the thieves crucified next to Christ, who believed and ascended with him. The second end of the crossbar points down, as a sign that the second thief, who allowed himself to slander Jesus, ended up in hell. On the Orthodox cross, each leg of Christ is nailed with a separate nail. Unlike the Orthodox cross, the Catholic cross consists of two crossbars. If Jesus is depicted on it, then both feet of Jesus are nailed to the base of the cross with one nail. Christ on Catholic crucifixes, as well as on icons, is depicted in a naturalistic way - his body sags under weight, torment and suffering are noticeable in the whole image.
Wake for the deceased
Orthodox commemorate the dead on the 3rd, 9th and 40th days, then a year later. Catholics commemorate the dead on Memorial Day, November 1st. November 1st is an official holiday in some European countries. The dead are also commemorated on the 3rd, 7th and 30th days after death, but this tradition is not strictly observed.
Despite existing differences, both Catholics and Orthodox are united by the fact that they profess and preach throughout the world one faith and one teaching of Jesus Christ.
conclusions:
1. In Orthodoxy, it is customary to consider that the Universal Church is "embodied" in each local Church, headed by a bishop. Catholics add to this that in order to belong to the Universal Church, the local Church must have communion with the local Roman Catholic Church.
2. World Orthodoxy does not have a single leadership. It is divided into several independent churches. World Catholicism is one church.
3. The Catholic Church recognizes the supremacy of the Pope in matters of faith and discipline, morality and government. Orthodox churches do not recognize the primacy of the Pope.
4. Churches differently see the role of the Holy Spirit and the mother of Christ, who in Orthodoxy is called the Mother of God, and in Catholicism the Virgin Mary. In Orthodoxy there is no concept of purgatory.
5. The same sacraments operate in the Orthodox and Catholic churches, but the ceremonies of their implementation are different.
6. Unlike Catholicism, in Orthodoxy there is no dogma about purgatory.
7. Orthodox and Catholics make the cross in different ways.
8. Orthodoxy allows divorce, and its "white clergy" can marry. In Catholicism, divorce is prohibited, and all monastic clergy take a vow of celibacy.
9. The Orthodox and Catholic Churches recognize the decisions of different Ecumenical Councils.
10. Unlike the Orthodox, Catholics paint saints on icons in a naturalistic way. Also among Catholics, sculptural images of Christ, the Virgin and saints are common.
In the XI century. n. e. (more precisely in 1054) a single Christian church split into Catholic and Orthodox branches. Between these two main branches of Christianity there are significant differences in the interpretation of Holy Scripture, cults, etc.
Let us consider the most significant differences between the two confessions in the main manifestations of the Faith.
Differences in beliefs in the Orthodox and Catholic faiths.
Both Orthodox and Catholics recognize the supernatural Divine Revelation and the two main methods of its preservation and dissemination as the immutable source of their doctrine: Sacred Giving and Sacred Scripture. The Bible is a written fixation of the most important content of the Sacred Giving. Subsequently, other truths of the Sacred Giving were written down and have come down to us in the symbols of Faith, the rules and decrees of the holy apostles, Ecumenical and Local Councils, in ancient liturgies, in the works of the fathers and teachers of the church.
However, not all fathers and teachers of the church enjoy equal authority in different denominations. In addition, the 21 Ecumenical Council is recognized as the Catholic faith, to which all official documents of the Pope are equated in importance. The Orthodox world recognizes only 7 Ecumenical Councils held before the schism of the Christian Church.
In the Catholic faith, until recently, there were strict restrictions on the unauthorized interpretation of the Bible by the laity. Catholics have canonized all 50 books in the Old Testament.
The Orthodox recognize the Niceno-Constantinople Creed, the most important dogmas of which are: On the Holy Trinity, On the Incarnation, On the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, On the resurrection of Jesus Christ, On the second coming of Jesus Christ and the Last Judgment, On the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, through which only man can be saved.
The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed was first drawn up at the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. e. In 381 AD e. it was supplemented at the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople.
Catholics also fully recognize the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, but they supplement it with their own dogmas that arose as the Catholic doctrine developed after the schism. Here are the 6 additions: Filioque is a dogma about the descent of the Holy Spirit not only from God the Father, but “also from his Son” (added in 589), Doctrine of Overdue Affairs (added in 1349), On Purgatory (added in 1439), On the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (added in 1854), On the Infallibility of the Pope in Matters of Faith and Morality (added in 1870), and On the Bodily Ascension of the Virgin Mary (added in 1950) .
Differences in the interpretation of the cult between the Orthodox and Catholic faiths
The basis of the cult of the Christian faith is the 7 sacraments. The Sacrament is a visible sacred action in which the grace of the Holy Spirit is invisibly given to the soul of the believer. The sacraments are established by the Lord himself, and they can only be performed by legitimate clergy.
1. Baptism
Occurs through a threefold immersion of a person in water;
Occurs when a person's head is poured with water three times;
2. Confirmation
It is performed immediately after baptism and is a single sacred rite with him;
Catholics call confirmation. It is carried out once at the conscious age of the child (7-10 years);
3. Repentance
In some cases, a penance is imposed on the penitent (in the translation of the prohibition), consisting of pious deeds and some decisions aimed at overcoming sinful habits;
From the 11th century “trade” in paid indulgences (in the lane of grace) became widely practiced. At first, they simply freed from penance, and then completely remitted to a person perfect and still imperfect sins. Since 1547, the sale of indulgences was banned. Otherwise, the sacrament is no different;
4. Communion (Eucharist)
When performing the sacrament, leavened bread and wine are used;
From the 15th century the laity communed only with unleavened bread. Since the middle of the XX century. they were allowed communion and wine. Children are not allowed to the sacrament before confirmation;
5. Unction (unction)
It is carried out over the patient;
It is carried out over the dying (the last anointing);
6. Marriage
In the Catholic faith, church marriage is theoretically indissoluble;
7. Priesthood
Occurs through episcopal ordination (ordination). At the same time, the chosen person receives the grace of the Holy Spirit for the sacred service of the Church. In both denominations, three degrees of priesthood are distinguished: deaconry, priesthood (priesthood among the Orthodox), episcopacy (hierarchy among the Orthodox).
All the clergy are divided into white (married parishioners, priests and deacons) and black (monastics who have taken a vow of celibacy). The 3rd degree of priesthood is achievable only for monks;
There is a rule of absence from the spiritual dignity and a vow of celibacy (celibacy) for all degrees of the priesthood.
Differences in worship in the Orthodox and Catholic faiths
In the Orthodox faith, worship is performed in Greek, Church Slavonic, or the national language. The voices are always singing. In the Holy Temple they stand (they can kneel), cross themselves with a pinch from right to left. At the request of the faithful, special services can be performed - trebes, and the liturgy is a daily cycle of worship.
In the Catholic faith, worship is held mainly in Latin, but national languages are also increasingly used. The choir sings, the organ is widely used. It is customary to sit in churches during the service (Mass). Catholics are baptized with straight fingers from left to right.
Differences between temples and churches in the Catholic and Orthodox faiths.
IN Orthodox world cross-bathing churches are round or octagonal. They are crowned with crosses (4,6 and 8-pointed). The Catholic churches were built in different styles and topped only with 4-pointed crosses.
Differences between the Orthodox and Catholic denominations and the organization of the church.
The Orthodox Church does not have a single head and is governed by a council. The patriarch (nominal head of the Church) is only a senior episcopal rank, which does not allow making changes to dogmatics and independently solving significant doctrinal issues. The Orthodox Church consists of 15 autocephalous (that is, independent) churches, 9 of which are headed by patriarchs.
Orthodox monasticism is one. The life of the monasteries is led by abbots and governors. Large monasteries are called laurels.
The Catholic Church is centralized. It is ruled by the Pope of Rome - Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth, Receiver of the Prince of the Apostles, High Priest of the Universal Church. The Pope is assisted by the Vicars (i.e., his deputies) and the Roman Curia (a body consisting of subordinate administrative institutions). The Pope is elected by the Conclave (a meeting of all cardinals).
Catholic monasticism consists of relatively independent monastic orders. The monasteries are governed by abbots (abbots).
If you have free time, you can read
The text of the Orthodox prayer to the holy martyrs Minodora, Mitrodora and Nymphodora
Oh, holy martyrs Minodoro, Mitrodoro and Nymphodoro! We come to you with fervent prayer. Please pray to the Lord, that in sorrow and adversity with His inexpressible grace He will cover us, His servants, and save, and His glory, like the unsetting sun, will be worthy to see. Help us in our humble prayers, may the Lord God forgive our sins and iniquities and have mercy on us sinners, and may Christ God vouchsafe us His bounty, to Him we send glory with His Beginningless Father and His Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.
Orthodoxy and Catholicism - what is the difference between them? What were the historical prerequisites for the division of the Churches? You will learn about this by reading our article.
How did the division of churches happen?
Official fall away catholic church from the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church occurred in 1054, when the legates of Pope Leo IX drew up an act of excommunication on the Patriarch of Constantinople Michael Cerularius and the entire Eastern Church, and during the liturgy in the Hagia Sophia, placed him on the throne and retired. Patriarch Michael then convened a council at which he excommunicated the papal ambassadors. The pope took their side, and since then the commemoration of popes at divine services has ceased in the Orthodox Churches, and the Latins began to be considered schismatics.
Orthodoxy and Catholicism: differences between them
The division of the Churches was facilitated both by the innovations allowed by Rome in relation to the traditions and customs of the Apostolic Church, and by the perversion of the dogma about the Holy Spirit. Although the Roman Church began to oppose the Eastern Orthodox Church relatively late, the difference in their mood and direction began to be outlined already at the time of its foundation. The burden of the struggle against Gnosticism fell primarily on the Greek Church. In the IV, V and VI centuries. the trinitarian and christological disputes throughout their entire course were suffered entirely by the greek east alone. But if the Roman Church, at its very inception, is little interested in the questions of faith that agitated the East, then it vigilantly follows everything that concerns the earthly dispensation in church life. From the very beginning, Rome expends its energy on the development of an iron church organization, which in the Middle Ages puts the whole of Western Europe at the foot of the papal throne. Ritualism, clericalism, the inexorable power of the church hierarchy is formed in this school of art to manage people.
The formation of the Western Empire in the 8th century, which arose in opposition to the hated Byzantium for the Latins, contributed to the strengthening of papal claims to primacy in the Church. Crowned in Rome in 763, Pepin the Short, the leader of the Frankish tribe, presented to Pope Stephen II (752-759) the Exarchate of Ravenna belonging to the Greeks, as well as other lands in Italy, as a token of gratitude. Since then, the popes, who have spiritual power, have also become secular sovereigns. Having received secular power, the popes made every effort to become arbiters in the field of politics, using the support of Western emperors. They began to weave the most complex intrigues at European courts to increase their prestige and possessions.
The main idea of Rome is the idea of Caesaropapism, that is, the establishment of the secular power of the Pope over the whole world, and through this the forcible Christianization of all peoples. This position is completely alien to the evangelical spirit of meekness, humility, love, where everyone must consciously and with heartfelt faith accept Christ and live according to His commandments, not because of fear of punishment from the authorities, but according to the law and the dictates of their hearts. The strongest divergences between the Roman and the Ecumenical Church manifested themselves as early as at the Council of Trula in 692: of the 85 Apostolic Canons, the West accepted only 50; Canons 3,6,12, and 13 speak of the married life of subdeacons, deacons, and presbyters, while the West, from the time of Leo I the Great, demanded celibacy from these clerics, which in the East was allowed only for bishops. Rule 36 confirmed the 28th rule of the Council of Chalcedon, hated by Rome; rule 55 forbade western fasting on the Sabbath; rule 67, according to Acts. 4:29 forbade the eating of blood; Rule 82 forbade the Western image of Christ as a lamb. All these rules were not accepted by Rome and captured small, but characteristic differences. Collections came into circulation - the so-called Dionysius (about 500) and others - which adopted papal decrees, omitted the rules not accepted by Rome, and thus more and more clearly emphasized the line of decay.
So even Basil the Great denounced some bishops of Rome in heresy and innovations: “They do not know the truth, and do not want to know; with those who proclaim the truth to them, they argue, but they themselves affirm heresy” (Environment of last paragraph 7).
One of the main dogmatic differences in the teachings of the Eastern and Roman Churches was the doctrine of the filioque. The Latins, distorting the Creed adopted at the 1st and 2nd Ecumenical Councils, asserted that the Holy Spirit proceeds “and from the Son” (Filioque). This doctrine arose in Spain in the 4th century, from here it penetrated into Germany and took root there, but not immediately. Charlemagne (742-814) pushed for the inclusion of the filioque in the Creed, but was vigorously opposed by Pope Leo III. In order to keep the Creed intact for the future, the pope ordered that the text be cut out on two metal tablets and nailed to the doors of the temple.
However, this did not help: another pope, Benedict VIII, at the insistence of another emperor, Henry II, introduced the filioque into the text (1015), and since then the new version of the Creed has come into general use in the Catholic Church and has become obligatory for it. As mentioned above, since 1054 there was a final falling away of the Catholic Church from the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Christ is the head of the Church, which is His body, and therefore there cannot be two Churches, just as there cannot be two contradictory truths. Here is what St. John Chrysostom: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism. If it’s good for them, then it’s bad for us; if it’s good for us, then it’s bad for them.” This great saint considers any separation from the Church to be a deprivation of the grace of the Holy Spirit. “Everything that has just separated from the life principle cannot, with the loss of its saving essence, live and breathe a special life.”
Each separate person or even the Christian community is alive insofar as it lives the life of Christ, insofar as it is united with the entire Universal Church. To isolate oneself, to withdraw into oneself is the same as for a ray to separate from the sun, for a stream from a source, for a branch from a trunk. Spiritual life can only exist through organic connection with the Universal Church; if this connection breaks, the Christian life will certainly dry up. After the apostasy, the Latins began to be received into the Church through baptism, as pagans, or through chrismation, as the ancient Church received Arians, Macedonians, Apolliarians, and similar heretics. The Latins convened councils, recognizing them as ecumenical, and invented new dogmas over the past centuries, unknown to the ancient Church and condemned by the Orthodox Church. So on May 5, 1848, in the “Circumferential Epistle of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church to all Orthodox Christians,” the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Jerusalem and Antioch in decisive words condemn the dogma of the Latin filioque as a disastrous heresy: “... this innovation, the opinion that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, there is a real heresy and his followers, whoever they are - heretics, the societies that are made up of them are heretical societies, and any spiritual and liturgical communication with them of the Orthodox children of the Catholic Church is lawless.
The truth of the Church was severely distorted in the West after Rome fell away from the Church, and the Kingdom of God began to resemble the kingdom of the earth there. Latinism, with its earthly accounts of good deeds, with its mercenary attitude to God, with its counterfeit of salvation, has clouded the Christian idea of the Church in the minds of its members. The purity of the Christian faith was more and more defiled in the teachings of the Latins.
This is currently expressed in the following false dogmas and teachings of the Latin Church: 1. Filioque.
2. The dogma of the supremacy and infallibility of the pope.
3. The dogma of the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin.
4. In the doctrine of salvation and justification.
5. In the cult of the heart of Jesus and Holy Mother of God.
6. In the doctrine of the sacraments.
Since the doctrine of the filioque was discussed above, we will proceed directly to the consideration of paragraph 2.
P. 2. The dogma of the supremacy and infallibility of the pope.
One of the main differences between the Roman Catholic doctrine and the Orthodox is the dogma of the pope as the visible, supreme and infallible head of the church - God's vicar on earth.
This doctrine, which developed in the Western Church in the Middle Ages, was finally proclaimed by Pope Pius IX at the Vatican Council of 1870. The falsity of this proposition lies in the fact that for the Church, which has as its head Jesus Christ himself, who is always with her until the end of the age, there is no need for any other Head. All, even the greatest saints, are no more than members of the Church; the apostles themselves called themselves ministers of the Church (Col. 1:24-25). In the same way, the high property of infallibility cannot be attributed to any of the mortal people. Catholics, calling the pope the head of the Church and infallible, attribute to him the power and properties that befit God alone, i.e. as if deifying a mortal man. Here are excerpts from the 43 judgments of the 1870 Vatican Council. “The Pope is a divine man and a human God… The Pope has Divine authority, and his authority is unlimited… The Pope is infallible as God, and can do everything that God does. He is the ruler of the universe... If the pope pronounced a sentence against the judgment of God, then the judgment of God must be corrected and changed. The Pope is the light of faith and the reflection of truth. The Pope is everything above everyone and can do everything.” The best commentary on this text is the words of the Roman cardinal Baronius, who wrote that for 150 years the papacy was occupied by “monsters of the most vile life, the most lecherous disposition, in general, the most vile people in every respect.”
As a result of the aforementioned dogma, the doctrine of the Church as the gracious Body of Christ under the single head of Christ is obscured among Roman Catholics by the doctrine of the pope as a single monarch, in which the entire Church is concentrated. The pope is not the first among the bishops, brothers, equal to him by grace, he is the source of episcopal power, the bishops are his delegates, representatives of the pope. The pope has replaced the entire body of the Church, and the criterion of truth is not the Holy Spirit, who lives in the entire Church, but the opinion of the Roman high priest. What belongs to the Church, and moreover, what belongs only to Christ, is transferred to the personality of the pope, while the Church is perceived as a legal organism, arbitrarily ruled by the pope.
P. 3. The dogma of the Roman Church on the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God.
It was first elevated to the rank of dogma in 1854 under Pope Pius IX. According to Catholic teaching, original sin consists in the loss of primitive righteousness, the deprivation of supernatural grace, and since this grace was poured out abundantly on the Blessed Virgin at the very beginning of Her conception, She must have been born in the state in which the first man was before his fall.
According to the Latins, the Mother of God was excluded from the law of the universality of ancestral sin, and not only Her birth, but also the conception itself, was holy and immaculate. Based on the Latin teaching, there is a kind of “passive” or “passive” conception - the moment of infusion of the soul created by God into the nascent body. And the soul of the Blessed Virgin, by the grace of God, was preserved from sinful ancestral filth.
According to the views of the Ecumenical (Orthodox) Church, the Most Holy Theotokos was born involved in original sin and its consequences and needed redemption for the perfect correction of nature, removal of condemnation and introduction into the Kingdom of God. As a result, her moral development and progress was carried out according to the laws of development and progress of fallen humanity in general, with gradualness and in the struggle against original sin, with the assistance of the grace of God, poured out on Her to the extent of acceptability of Her grace, without violating Her freedom. The holiness of the Most Holy Theotokos is a consequence of Her deep participation in the sufferings for the world of the Savior and the assimilation of the spirit of God's love to such an extent that none of the created beings can assimilate.
The Catholic teaching about the immaculate conception of the Mother of God is also false due to the fact that:
1. Does not have any gospel or biblical truths in its foundation.
2. Contradicts the dogma of the Universal Church about the universality of original sin and its consequences in the human race.
3. Contradicts the unconditional necessity in the matter of salvation of the independent (personal) assimilation of the fruits of redemption (ie, the law of freedom and grace).
II. 4. The Catholic doctrine of salvation and justification.
First of all, it should be noted that the concept of salvation in the Roman Church is very similar to the provisions of the official theology of post-exilic Judaism (see Ezekiel 20:37). The relationship between God and man is in the nature of a covenant, an agreement that binds both parties. A Christian must do good works, not only because he needs to earn his wages in order to receive a blessed life, but also in order to have satisfaction in order to avoid punishment. Closely connected with this is the opinion that next to the usual “merita” (earnings of salvation good deeds) there is “merita superprogationis” - super-duty deeds and merits. The totality of these merits, together with the merits of Christ, forms a treasury of good deeds, from which the church has the right to draw to atone for the sins of its flock. Hence the doctrine of indulgences, the right of the pope to distribute (sell these overdue merits).
In addition to heaven and hell, the Catholic doctrine of retribution after death introduces the doctrine of purgatory (a place of punishment where the soul serves its term of torment and then is transferred to paradise). There is no such teaching in the Orthodox Church. Yes, as indicated in Holy Scripture, only heaven or hell, and purgatory is the own creation of Latin theologians.
P. 5. Latin cult of the heart of Jesus and the Most Holy Theotokos
Appeared towards the end of the XVIII century. The basis for it was the pseudo-visions of the Catholic nun Margarita Maria Alyakok (died in 1690). The Lord Jesus Christ allegedly appeared to her in visions and spoke of His extreme love for people, showed her His heart, and having taught her to honor the heart, ordered her to enter this ministry first in a monastery (France), and then spread it among all believers. This teaching was accepted under the auspices of the Jesuits, who achieved the acceptance of the visions of the nun by the supreme authority, and Alyakok herself was elevated to the degree of blessed (1864). The holiday was approved in 1856, and a special ceremony in 1889. The main argument of the Catholics in creating the cult, in addition to the pseudo-visions of the nun, was the following reasoning. The corporal heart is a symbol of love. But in order to thank the Lord for love, you need a sensual image of the source of this love - this is the image of the heart of Jesus. Special temples, societies were created, special prayers dedicated to the cult of the heart of Jesus were composed.
All of the above also applies to the cult of worship of the heart of the Most Holy Theotokos, which arose as a result of the adoption of the dogma of the immaculate conception of the Holy Virgin. Meanwhile, even in ancient times, the teaching of those who do not honor Jesus Christ with a single worship was condemned by the 9th canon of the 5th Ecumenical Council. Having established this cult, the Roman Church not only shares the single face of the God-Man Jesus Christ in order to render equal worship to each of His two natures, but also separates human nature itself in order to separately worship the material heart of Jesus Christ.
The cult of the heart of Jesus emphasizes the false spirituality of Catholicism. Instead of deep contemplative prayer, silent, humble standing before God, with a sense of one's unworthiness and repentance, sensuality, exaltation, psychic self-pumping are practiced here - which are passed off as the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit. For example, what the holy fathers of the Ecumenical Church considered to be delusional and was strictly forbidden (mental, sensual imagination of Christ, the Mother of God, saints, fantasizing conversations and communicating with him during prayer), among the Latins is considered the norm and is officially encouraged. The cult of the heart of Jesus, the Mother of God, the appearance of stigmata (wounds on the arms and legs) among exalted Catholics, numerous charming visions and revelations are the result of the false spirituality of Catholicism. And this phenomenon is natural, since the distortion of the dogmas of the holy Church by the Latins inevitably entailed a perversion of spiritual life and false mysticism.
P. 6. The Catholic doctrine of the sacraments.
Allowed by the Roman Church to depart from ancient tradition and in the performance of the sacraments. United, Holy, Cathedral and Apostolic Church seven Ecumenical Councils performed baptism through three immersions in water; but in recent times, baptism through sprinkling and pouring has been introduced in the Roman Church, and since the 15th century the formula of the sacrament has also been changed; instead of - “the servant of God (the name of the rivers) is baptized in the name of the Father, amen, and the Son, amen, and the Holy Spirit, amen” - “I baptize you (the name of the rivers) in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
The formula in the sacrament of chrismation has also been changed: instead of “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” - “I mark you with the banner of the cross and affirm the world of salvation in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”, and the sacrament of chrismation can only be performed by Roman Catholics by a bishop. Following the example of the Savior for more than a thousand years, the Holy Church in the East and in the West performed St. The Eucharist on leavened bread, but the Roman Church introduced an innovation from the 11th century - the use of unleavened bread in the sacrament of the Eucharist, which contradicts the Gospel story of the Last Supper and ancient church tradition; The Church of the Seven Ecumenical Councils accepted that honest gifts are consecrated after the invocation of the Holy Spirit through the blessing of the priests, but the Church of Rome introduced an innovation here as well, subsequently: it abolished the epiclesis, i.e. the invocation of the Holy Spirit, as a result of which in their Mass the moment of consecration of the Gifts is no longer felt as the central moment of the Liturgy, and adopted the opinion that the consecration of the Gifts takes place when the words of the Lord are proclaimed: “Take, eat: this is My Body, and drink from it all: this is My Blood.”
Following the commandment of the Lord: “drink from her all,” the Ecumenical Church taught communion to all of St. Cups, but the Roman Church from the 9th century, and finally from the 20th century, deprived the laity of the communion of St. Blood of Christ. Also not allowed to St. Communion children, until the sacrament of chrismation is performed on them, that is, up to 10-12 years.
The church people at the liturgy, the Roman Catholics are more silent - the priest answers for him, in an undertone, the altar boy, while our people, through the mouth of the choir, loudly answer the serving priest. The legal beginning of counting and set-off is partly introduced into the celebration of the liturgy - hence they have a lot of private masses, performed one after another on the same throne by the same priest, and even simultaneously by several priests on different thrones of the same church for, say the Roman Catholics, the more Masses are celebrated, the more holiness is brought into the world. In the sacrament of the consecration of the oil, the oil must be consecrated by the bishop, and the sacrament itself is performed not on the seriously ill, according to the words of St. James (5:14-15), but over the dying, as preparation for a peaceful death, they call it “the last anointing.”
In the doctrine of marriage, the divergence between Catholics and the Universal Church is very deep and important. In the Orthodox Church, due to an ancient church custom, a wedding is considered a sacrament. Marriage here is a liturgical act, the authorized performer of it is the priest. In Latinism, marriage itself is considered a sacrament, and not a wedding. Prior to the Council of Trent, a marriage was considered to be church-strong, consisting in the expression of mutual consent by the spouses in front of witnesses, even in the absence of a representative of the Church. The Council of Trent required that the declaration of marriage be made in the presence of a priest. Thus, the performers of marriage among the Latins are the spouses themselves, and the matter and form of it is mutual agreement.
At the end of this article, I would like to emphasize that the path of Roman Catholicism, throughout its history, is the path of self-adoring pride, alien to the evangelical spirit, it is practical and moral relativism, political intrigues, lies resorted to by the Vatican to achieve its goals. Our ancestors understood this well and treated Latinism accordingly. Here are excerpts from the testament of the great Russian saint Theodosius of the Kiev Caves:
“Do not partake of the Latin faith, do not adhere to their customs, run away from their communion and avoid all their teaching and shun their customs. Beware of the children of the Krivovers and all their conversations, for our land is filled with them. If anyone saves his soul, it is only by living in Orthodox Faith because there is no other faith better than our pure and holy Orthodox Faith... And those who live in a different faith: Catholic, or Muslim, or Armenian, will not see eternal life.
You Latins, who rejected the preaching of the Apostles and the Holy Fathers, accepted an unrighteous and corrupt faith, full of destruction. That is why you are rejected by us. Therefore, it is not befitting for us to serve with you and to proceed to the Divine Mysteries together, not for you to ours, not for us to yours, because you are dead and offer a dead sacrifice, but we are pure, undefiled to the living God, so that we inherit eternal life.
Orthodox Church, Catholicism, modern heresies and sects in Russia.
Under. ed. Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga John.
SPb., 1994.
Catholicism is a Christian denomination that has its own characteristics and differences from Orthodoxy and Protestantism. Catholics consider their faith pure and true, originating directly from the time of the existence of Jesus Christ - God's Son and the first Christian community founded by him.
What is Catholicism?
Catholicism is one of the largest offshoots in the Christian religion in terms of the number of adherents. Catholicism was most widespread in the countries of Western Europe and Latin America. Translated from lat. catholicismus - universal, universal, it can be said that representatives of Catholicism see in their confession a comprehensive truth and universality - "catholicity". The history of the emergence of Catholicism dates back to the apostolic times - the 1st century BC. ad. Catholicism flourished in the Roman Empire. Structure of the Catholic Church:
- The heavenly head is Jesus Christ. The earthly head of the entire Catholic diocese is the Pope.
- The Roman Curia is the supreme administrative body, which includes the Holy See in the person of the Pope and the sovereign city-state of Vatican City.
For Catholicism, as for the entire Christian religion, the following ritual sacraments or sacred rites are characteristic:
- unction;
- chrismation;
- baptism;
- confession;
- communion;
- wedding;
- priesthood.
How is Orthodoxy different from Catholicism?
Orthodoxy and Catholicism - it would seem that one religion is Christianity, but both branches have their own characteristics and differences:
- The Catholic Church believes in the virgin birth of Mary, through indulgence and the bringing of the good news. In Orthodoxy, Jesus was born from the marriage of Mary with Joseph.
- In Catholicism, the Divine energy of love is one and is common to the Holy Trinity: God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Orthodox doctrine sees in the Holy Spirit the love between the Father-Son, God and people.
- Catholicism positions the Pope as the vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth. Orthodoxy recognizes only Jesus Christ as the One Head.
- The most beloved and solemn holiday of Christians - Great Easter in Catholicism is calculated based on the Alexandrian Paschalia, and Orthodoxy on the Gregorian, hence the difference of two weeks.
- The Catholic Church obliges both monks and clergy to a vow of celibacy, in the Orthodox Church celibacy is only for monks.
Protestantism and Catholicism - differences
Protestantism is a relatively young direction in Christianity, which arose with the light hand of a prominent Christian theologian of the 16th century. Martin Luther, who spoke out and criticized Catholic priests who tried to cash in on their parishioners by selling indulgences. The most important difference between Protestantism and Catholicism is that the Bible is the authority for Protestants, while in Catholicism foundations and traditions are no less important.
Other features that distinguish these two currents:
- Most of the Protestant churches are against the worship of saints, celibacy and monasticism in contrast to Catholicism.
- In Protestantism, many currents with conservative and liberal views have been formed (Lutheranism, Baptism, Anglicanism). Catholicism is a well-established, conservatively arranged Christian movement.
- Protestants do not believe in the "trials" of the soul and the passage of purgatory. Catholics are believers that there is a purgatory - a place where the soul is cleansed of sins.
Deadly sins in Catholicism
The Catholic Church sees a person as helpless, weak, subject to vices and sins, without love and reliance on God. not considered mortal, but only distorting human nature. There are seven main or considered:
- envy;
- anger;
- lust;
- gluttony;
- pride;
- despondency;
- greed.
How to accept Catholicism?
The religion of Catholicism is considered the largest Christian offshoot in terms of the number of parishioners, the number of which is growing every day. What should a person do who accepted Orthodoxy in his time, but who wants to convert to the Catholic faith, because here he finds more answers to his questions and the soul receives more responses? The transition process is multifaceted and depends on the sincere desire and aspiration of the believer. The adoption of Catholicism occurs as follows:
- A conversation with a priest and a statement of intent to accept or convert to the Catholic faith.
- A confirmation of the determination to follow the Divine and a deep personal devotion to Jesus Christ.
- Acceptance and confession of the contents of the Nicene Creed as the only true.
