Catholicization of Orthodoxy. Common features of Catholicism and Orthodoxy

... Tomorrow morning the priest will give me a small,
round, thin, cold and tasteless cookies.
K.S. Lewis, The Pain of Loss. Observations" ("Woe from within").
The word was our weapon -
We dipped him in the enemy's blood...
L. Bocharova, "Inquisitia"

This is a summary table of differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Only the main, "visible" differences are shown here - that is, those that an ordinary parishioner may be aware of (and may encounter).

Of course, there are many other differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. From fundamental ones, like the notorious dogma of the “Filioque”, to small, almost ridiculous ones: for example, we can’t agree on whether unleavened or leavened (leavened) bread should be used in the sacrament of Communion. But such differences, which do not directly affect the lives of parishioners, are not included in the table.

Notes.

• Note that at certain moments of the Orthodox service (for example, during long readings), parishioners are allowed to sit.
• If you look at the structure of the prayer, you can see that the "heartfelt" Orthodox prayer is "smart", while the "smart" Catholics - "heartfelt". This (seeming contradiction) can be explained as follows: we pray not with what we live in everyday life. Therefore, the Orthodox appeal to God is “smart”, Orthodox prayer is sober, “in Orthodox mysticism, you need to purify the mind and then reduce it to the heart” (not strictly theological, but rather accurate formulation of S. Kalugin). For Catholics, on the contrary, the appeal to God is “heartfelt”, the prayer is emotional, in Catholic mysticism, you must first cleanse your heart, and then completely imbue it with the spirit of Divine love.
• Chrismation is the Sacrament of the Church, in which a person is given the grace of the Holy Spirit by anointing with a special holy oil, myrrh. It is performed once in a lifetime (except for the kings in former times, who were also anointed to the kingdom). For the Orthodox, Confirmation is combined with Baptism, for Catholics it is performed separately.
• In general, the attitude towards babies is a very significant example of the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. After all, both Orthodox and Catholics agree that babies (children under 7 years old) are sinless. But we draw the opposite conclusion. Orthodox believe that since babies are sinless, they can (and should!) be anointed and communed: this will not be an insult to God, and the baby will receive His grace and help. Catholics, on the other hand, believe that since babies are sinless, they do not need to be anointed and communed: after all, they are already sinless, by definition!

In 1054, one of the most important events in the history of the Middle Ages took place - the Great Schism, or schism. And despite the fact that mutual anathemas were lifted by the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Holy See back in the middle of the 20th century, the world did not unite, and the reason for this was both dogmatic differences between both confessions and political contradictions closely connected with the Church throughout its existence.

This state of affairs persists even though most of the states where the population professes Christianity, and where it has taken root in antiquity, are secular and have a large proportion of atheists. The Church and its role in history became part of the national self-identification of many peoples, despite the fact that representatives of these peoples often did not even read the Scriptures.

Sources of conflict

A single Christian church (hereinafter referred to as the EC) arose in the Roman Empire in the first centuries of our era. It was not something monolithic in the early period of its existence. The sermons of the apostles and then the apostolic men lay down on the consciousness of the man of the ancient Mediterranean, but it differed significantly from that of the people of the East. The unified dogma of the EC was finally developed during the period of the Apologists, and in addition to the Scripture itself, its formation was strongly influenced by Greek philosophy, namely: Plato, Aristotle, Zeno.

The first theologians who worked out the foundations of the Christian faith were people from various parts of the empire, often with personal spiritual and philosophical experience behind them. And in their works, in the presence of a common basis, we can see some accents, which in the future will become sources of controversy. Those in power will cling to these contradictions in the interests of the state, caring little about the spiritual side of the issue.

The unity of common Christian dogma was supported by the Ecumenical Councils, the formation of the clergy as a separate class of society proceeded according to the principle of continuity of ordinations from the Apostle Peter . But the harbingers of a future split were already clearly visible at least in such a case as proselytism. In the period of the early Middle Ages, new peoples began to enter the orbit of Christianity, and here the circumstance from whom the people receive Baptism played a much greater role than the very fact of it. And this, in turn, was strongly reflected in how relations between the Church and the new flock would develop, because the community of new converts did not so much accept the dogma as it entered the orbit of a stronger political structure.

The difference in the role of the Church in the east and in the west of the former Roman Empire was due to the different fate of these parts. The western part of the empire fell under the pressure of internal conflicts and barbarian raids, and the Church there actually formed a society. States were formed, disintegrated, re-created, but the Roman center of gravity existed. In fact, the Church in the West rose above the state, which determined its further role in European politics until the era of the Reformation.

The Byzantine Empire, on the contrary, had its roots in the pre-Christian era, and Christianity became part of the culture and self-consciousness of the population of this territory, but did not replace this culture entirely. The organization of the Eastern churches followed a different principle—locality. The Church was organized as if from below, it was a community of believers as opposed to the power vertical in Rome. The Patriarch of Constantinople had the primacy of honor, but not legislative power (Constantinople did not shake the threat of excommunication as a stick to influence objectionable monarchs). The relationship with the latter was realized according to the principle of a symphony.

The further development of Christian theology in the East and in the West also followed different paths. Scholasticism spread in the West, trying to combine faith and logic, which ultimately led to a conflict between faith and reason in the Renaissance. In the East, these concepts have never been mixed up, which is well reflected in the Russian proverb "Trust in God, but don't make a mistake yourself." On the one hand, this gave great freedom of thought, on the other hand, it did not give the practice of scientific dispute.

Thus, political and theological contradictions led to the schism of 1054. How it went is a big topic worthy of a separate presentation. And now we will tell you how modern Orthodoxy and Catholicism differ from each other. The differences will be considered in the following order:

1. dogmatic;
2. Ritual;
3. Mental.

Fundamental dogmatic differences

Usually little is said about them, which is not surprising: a simple believer, as a rule, does not care about this. But there are such differences., and some of them became the reason for the split in 1054. Let's list them.

Views on the Holy Trinity

A stumbling block between Orthodox and Catholics. The notorious filioque.

The Catholic Church believes that Divine grace comes not only from the Father, but also from the Son. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, professes the procession of the Holy Spirit only from the Father and the existence of Three Persons in a single Divine essence.

Views on the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary

Catholics believe that the Mother of God is the fruit of the Immaculate Conception, that is, she was free from original sin from the very beginning (recall that by original sin considered disobedience to the will God, and we still feel the consequences of Adam's disobedience to this will (Gen. 3:19)).

The Orthodox do not recognize this dogma, since there are no indications of such a thing in Scripture, and the conclusions of Catholic theologians are based only on a hypothesis.

Views on the unity of the Church

Orthodox understand faith and sacraments as unity, while Catholics recognize the Pope as the vicar of God on earth. Orthodoxy considers every local church to be completely self-sufficient (for it is a model of the Universal Church), Catholicism puts the recognition of the Pope's authority over it and all aspects of human life at the forefront. The Pope is infallible in the views of Catholics.

Resolutions of the Ecumenical Councils

Orthodox recognize 7 Ecumenical Councils, and Catholics - 21, the last of which took place in the middle of the last century.

Dogma of Purgatory

Available for Catholics. Purgatory is a place where the souls of the dead go in unity with God, but did not pay for their sins during life. It is believed that living people should pray for them. Orthodox do not recognize the doctrine of purgatory, believing that the fate of the human soul is in the hands of God, but it is possible and necessary to pray for the dead. Finally, this dogma was approved only at the Ferrara-Florence Cathedral.

Differences in views on dogmas

The Catholic Church adopted the theory of dogmatic development created by Cardinal John Newman, according to which the Church should clearly formulate its dogmas in words. The need for this arose to counter the influence of Protestant denominations. This problem is quite relevant and broad: Protestants honor the letter of Scripture, and often to the detriment of its spirit. Catholic theologians set themselves a difficult task: to formulate dogmas based on Scripture in such a way as to eliminate these contradictions.

Orthodox hierarchs and theologians do not consider it necessary to somehow clearly state the dogmatics of the doctrine and develop it. In the view of Orthodox churches, the letter does not give a complete understanding of faith and even limits this understanding. Church Tradition is complete enough for a Christian, and every believer can have his own spiritual path.

External differences

This is what catches the eye in the first place. Oddly enough, but it was they, despite their non-principled nature, that became the source of not only small conflicts, but also big upheavals. Typically it was for the Orthodox and Catholic churches, differences within which, at least regarding the views of the hierarchs, provoked the emergence of heresies and new schisms.

The rite was never something static - neither in the period of early Christianity, nor during the Great Schism, nor in the period of separate existence. Moreover: sometimes cardinal changes took place in the rite, but they did not bring them closer to the unity of the church. Rather, on the contrary, each innovation broke away from one or another church of the believers.

For illustration, we can take the church schism in Russia in the 17th century - and after all, Nikon did not seek to split the Russian church, but, on the contrary, to unite the Ecumenical (his ambition, of course, went off scale).

It's also good to remember- with the introduction of ordus novo (services in national languages) in the middle of the last century, part of the Catholics did not accept this, believing that the mass should be served according to the Tridentine rite. Currently, Catholics use the following types of rites:

• ordus novo, standard service;
• the Rite of Trent, according to which the priest is obliged to conduct Mass if the parish is by a majority vote in favor;
• Greek Catholic and Armenian Catholic rites.

There are many myths around the theme of ritualism. One of them is the dictate of the Latin language among Catholics, and no one understands this language. Although the Latin rite was replaced by the national one relatively recently, many do not take into account, for example, the fact that the Uniate churches, subordinate to the Pope, retained their rite. They also do not take into account the fact that Catholics also began to publish national Bibles (Where was it to go? Protestants often took this).

Another misconception is the primacy of ritual over consciousness. This is partly due to the fact that the consciousness of a person has largely remained pagan: he confuses the rite and the sacrament, and uses them as a kind of magic, in which, as you know, following the instructions plays a decisive role.

In order for you to better see the ritual differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism - a table to help you:

In addition, there are differences in the veneration of saints, the order of canonization of such, holidays. The vestments of the priests are also different, although the cut of the latter has common roots among both Orthodox and Catholics.

Also in Catholic worship more important is the personality of the priest; he pronounces the formulas of the sacraments in the first person, and in Orthodox worship in the third person, since the sacrament is performed not by the priest (as opposed to the rite), but by God. By the way, the number of sacraments is the same for both Catholics and Orthodox. The sacraments are:

• Baptism;
• Chrismation;
• Repentance;
• Eucharist;
• Wedding;
• Ordination to the dignity;
• Unction.

Catholics and Orthodox: what is the difference

If we talk about the Church, not as an organization, but as a community of believers, then there is still a difference in mentality. Moreover, both the Catholic and Orthodox churches have strongly influenced both the formation of civilizational models of modern states, and the attitude of representatives of these nations to life, its goals, morality and other aspects of their being.

Moreover, this is also affecting now, when the number of people who do not belong to any confessions is growing in the world, and the Church itself is losing its position in regulating various aspects of human life.

The average visitor to the temple rarely thinks about why he, for example, is a Catholic. For him, this is often a tribute to tradition, a formality, a habit. Often belonging to one or another confession serves as an excuse for one's irresponsibility or as a way to score political points.

So, representatives of the Sicilian mafia flaunted their belonging to Catholicism, which did not prevent them from receiving income from the drug trade and committing crimes. The Orthodox even have a saying for such hypocrisy: “Either take off your cross, or put on your underpants.”

Among the Orthodox, there is often such a model of behavior, which is characterized by another proverb - "until the thunder breaks out, the peasant will not cross himself."

And yet, despite such differences both in dogmas and in ritual, there are indeed more common things between us than differences. And dialogue between us is necessary to preserve peace and mutual understanding. After all, both Orthodoxy and Catholicism are branches of the same Christian faith. And it is worth remembering this not only for hierarchs, but also for ordinary believers.

The split of the Christian Church into Western and Eastern took place in 1054. Different views on one religion forced each of the directions to go their own way. Differences manifested themselves not only in the interpretation of the Bible, but also in the arrangement of temples.

External differences

You can find out which direction the church belongs to even at a distance. An Orthodox church is distinguished by the presence of domes, the number of which carries one meaning or another. One dome is a symbol of the one Lord God. Five domes - Christ with four apostles. Thirty-three domes remind of the age at which the Savior was crucified on the cross.

Internal differences

There are also differences in the internal space of the Orthodox and Catholic churches. The Catholic building begins with a narthex, on both sides of which there are bell towers. Sometimes bell towers are not built or only one is built. Next comes the naos, or main nave. On either side of it are the side naves. Then you can see the transverse nave, which crosses the main and side. The main nave ends with an altar. It is followed by a de-ambulatory, which is a semicircular bypass gallery. Next is the crown of chapels.

Catholic churches may differ from each other in the organization of the internal space. In large churches, there are much more rooms. In addition, they use an organ that gives solemnity to the service. Small churches in small settlements are more modestly equipped. In a Catholic church, the walls are decorated with frescoes, not icons.

The part of the Orthodox church preceding the altar is tripled much simpler than in the Catholic Church. The main temple space serves as a place where parishioners pray. This part of the temple is most often a square or rectangle. In the Catholic Church, the space for praying parishioners always has the shape of an elongated rectangle. In an Orthodox church, unlike a Catholic one, benches are not used. Believers should pray standing up.

The altar part of the Orthodox church is separated from the rest of the space by solea. Here is the iconostasis. Icons can also be placed on the walls of the main temple space. The altar part is preceded by an ambo and royal gates. The veil, or catapetasma, follows the royal doors. Behind the veil is a throne, behind which are an altar, a sintron and a high place.

Architects and builders working on the construction of Orthodox and Catholic churches strive to create buildings in which a person would feel closer to God. The churches of both Western and Eastern Christians embody the unity of the earthly and the heavenly.

Video

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

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

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

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

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

Now we can talk about the differences:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video lectures Doctrines of the Catholic Church

Catholicism is one of the three main Christian denominations. In total there are three confessions: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. The youngest of the three is Protestantism. It arose from an attempt to reform the Catholic Church by Martin Luther in the 16th century.

The division into Orthodoxy and Catholicism has a rich history. The beginning was the events that took place in 1054. It was then that the legates of the then-reigning Pope Leo IX drew up an act of excommunication against Patriarch Michael Ceroullarius of Constantinople and the entire Eastern Church. During the liturgy in the Hagia Sophia, they put him on the throne and left. Patriarch Michael responded by convening a council, at which, in turn, 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 have been considered schismatics.

We have collected the main differences and similarities between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, information about the tenets of Catholicism and features of the confession. It is important to remember that all Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ, so neither Catholics nor Protestants can be considered “enemies” of the Orthodox Church. However, there are controversial issues in which each denomination is closer or further from the Truth.

Features of Catholicism

Catholicism has over a billion followers worldwide. The head of the Catholic Church is the Pope, not the Patriarch, as in Orthodoxy. The Pope is the supreme ruler of the Holy See. Previously, in the Catholic Church, all bishops were called that. Contrary to popular belief about the total infallibility of the Pope, Catholics consider only doctrinal statements and decisions of the Pope to be infallible. Pope Francis is currently the head of the Catholic Church. He was elected on March 13, 2013, and this is the first Pope in many years who. In 2016, Pope Francis met with Patriarch Kirill to discuss critical issues for Catholicism and Orthodoxy. In particular, the problem of persecution of Christians, which exists in some regions even today.

Doctrine of the Catholic Church

A number of dogmas of the Catholic Church differ from the corresponding understanding of the Gospel truth in Orthodoxy.

• Filioque is the Dogma that the Holy Spirit comes from both God the Father and God the Son.
• Celibacy is the dogma of the celibacy of the clergy.
• The Holy Tradition of Catholics includes the decisions taken after the seven Ecumenical Councils and the Papal Epistles.
• Purgatory is a dogma about an intermediate “station” between hell and heaven, where you can atone for your sins.
• The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and her bodily ascension.
• Communion of the laity only with the Body of Christ, the clergy with the Body and Blood.

Of course, these are not all differences from Orthodoxy, but Catholicism recognizes those dogmas that are not considered true in Orthodoxy.

Who are Catholics

The largest number of Catholics, people who practice Catholicism, live in Brazil, Mexico and the United States. Interestingly, in each country, Catholicism has its own cultural characteristics.

Differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy

• Unlike Catholicism, Orthodoxy believes that the Holy Spirit comes only from God the Father, as stated in the Creed.
• In Orthodoxy, only monastics observe celibacy, the rest of the clergy can marry.
• The sacred tradition of the Orthodox does not include, in addition to the ancient oral tradition, the decisions of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, the decisions of subsequent church councils, papal messages.
• In Orthodoxy there is no dogma about purgatory.
• Orthodoxy does not recognize the doctrine of the "treasury of grace" - an overabundance of the good deeds of Christ, the apostles, the Virgin Mary, which allow you to "draw" salvation from this treasury. It was this doctrine that allowed for the possibility of indulgences, which at one time became a stumbling block between Catholics and future Protestants. Indulgence was one of those phenomena in Catholicism that deeply revolted Martin Luther. His plans included not the creation of a new confession, but the reformation of Catholicism.
• In Orthodoxy, the laity Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ: “Take, eat: this is my body, and drink all of you from it: this is my blood.”