The main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. What is the difference between Catholics and Orthodox Christians?

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

First of all, Catholics are also Christians. Christianity is divided into three main directions: 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 Churches independent of each other.

Besides the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), there is the Georgian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox Church, 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 single leadership. But the Orthodox believe that the unity of the Orthodox Church is manifested in a single doctrine and in mutual communication in the sacraments.

Catholicism is one Universal Church. All its parts in different countries of the world are in communication with each other, share a single creed and recognize the Pope as their head. In the Catholic Church there is a division into rites (communities within the Catholic Church, differing from each other in forms of liturgical worship and church discipline): Roman, Byzantine, etc. Therefore, there are 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 different understandings 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 each local Church, headed by a bishop. Catholics add that this local Church must have communion with the local Roman Catholic Church in order to belong to the Universal Church.

3) The Catholic Church in that The Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son (“filioque”). The Orthodox Church confesses the Holy Spirit emanating only from the Father. Some Orthodox saints spoke about the procession of the Spirit from the Father through the Son, which does not contradict Catholic dogma.

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

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

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 Christians glorify the holiness of the Mother of God, but believe that she was born with original sin, like all people;

7)Catholic dogma of Mary's assumption to heaven body and soul is a logical continuation of the previous dogma. The Orthodox also believe that Mary resides in Heaven in body and soul, but this is not dogmatically enshrined in Orthodox teaching.

8) The Catholic Church accepted the dogma of the primacy of the Pope over the entire Church in matters of faith and morals, discipline and government. The Orthodox do not recognize the primacy of the Pope;

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

In Russia, the Roman (Latin) rite of the Catholic Church is better known. Therefore, the differences between the liturgical practice and church discipline of the Byzantine and Roman rites of the Catholic Church are often mistaken for differences between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. But if the Orthodox liturgy is very different from the Roman rite mass, then the Catholic liturgy of the Byzantine rite is very similar. And the presence of married priests in the Russian Orthodox Church 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 morals in those cases where 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 accepts the decisions of only 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, preserving apostolic succession and true sacraments. Both Catholics and Orthodox Christians have the same Creed.

Despite their differences, Catholics and Orthodox Christians throughout the world profess one faith and one teaching of Jesus Christ. Once upon a time, human mistakes and prejudices separated us, but still 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 in His prayer: “That they all may be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21). The unbelieving world needs our common witness for Christ.

Video lectures on the Dogmas of the Catholic Church

For those who are interested.

Recently, many people have developed a very dangerous stereotype that supposedly there is not much difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, Protestanism. Some believe that in reality the distance is significant, almost like heaven and earth, and maybe even more?

Others that The Orthodox Church has preserved the Christian faith in purity and integrity, exactly as Christ revealed it, as the apostles passed it on, 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 faiths 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 it is proven it cannot be recognized...).

“There are so many different Religions, do people really think that “THERE” at the top, the “Christian God” sits in the next office with “Ra” and everyone else... So many versions say that they were written by a person, and not by a “higher power” "(What kind of a state with 10 constitutions??? What kind of President was unable to approve one of them throughout the world???)

“Religion, patriotism, team sports (football, etc.) give rise to aggression, the entire power of the state rests on this hatred of “others,” “not like that”... Religion is no better than nationalism, only it is covered with a curtain of peace and it doesn’t 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 religions? And are they really that big?
From time immemorial, the Christian faith 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 that 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 world's largest 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.

The basis 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 into 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.

Nowadays, there are three main directions of the Christian religion: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. A separate group includes the so-called ancient Eastern churches (the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian and Indian Malabar Orthodox Churches), which did not accept the decisions of the IV Ecumenical (Chalcedonian) Council of 451.

Catholicism

The split of the church into Western (Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) occurred in 1054. Catholicism is currently the largest Christian faith in terms of the number of adherents. It is distinguished from other Christian denominations by several important dogmas: the immaculate conception and ascension of the Virgin Mary, the doctrine of purgatory, 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 pouring 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, 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. In the Middle East, there are many Catholics in Lebanon, in Asia - in the Philippines and East Timor, and partially 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 initially subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople; currently 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 Rus'). The head of the church is considered to be Jesus Christ; there is no figure similar to the Pope in Orthodoxy. The institution of monasticism plays a major role in the life of the church, and the clergy is 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 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 movements of Orthodoxy (Old Believers, co-religionists) they use two fingers - the sign of the cross with two fingers.

Orthodox Christians 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, part of Finland, northern Kazakhstan, some states of the USA, Estonia, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan and Albania. There are also Orthodox communities in some African countries.

Protestantism

The emergence 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 the modern world there are many Protestant churches, the single center of which does not exist.

Among the original forms of Protestantism, Anglicanism, Calvinism, Lutheranism, Zwinglianism, Anabaptism, and Mennonism stand out. Subsequently, movements such as Quakers, Pentecostals, the Salvation Army, evangelists, Adventists, Baptists, Methodists and many others developed. Religious associations such as Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses are classified by some researchers as Protestant churches, and by others as sects.

Most Protestants recognize the general Christian dogma of the trinity of God and the authority of the Bible, however, unlike Catholics and Orthodox Christians, 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 issues of marriage and divorce is especially visible), many of them are active in missionary work. A branch such as Anglicanism, in many of its manifestations, is close to Catholicism; the question of recognition of the authority of the Pope by Anglicans is currently being discussed.

There are Protestants in most countries of the world. They make up the majority of believers in the UK, USA, Scandinavian countries, Australia, New Zealand, and there are also many of them in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, and Estonia. An increasing percentage of Protestants are observed in South Korea, as well as in such traditionally Catholic countries as Brazil and Chile. Own branches of Protestantism (such as, for example, Quimbangism) exist in Africa.

COMPARATIVE TABLE OF DOCTRICAL, ORGANIZATIONAL AND RITUALS DIFFERENCES IN ORTHODOXY, CATHOLICITY AND PROTESTANTISM

ORTHODOXY AND PROTESTANTISM: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

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 would be with them there would appear people who would want to distort the truth and muddy it with their own inventions: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.(Matt. 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 upon themselves quick destruction. And many will follow their depravity, and through them the path of truth will be reproached... Having left the straight path, they have gone astray... the darkness of eternal darkness is prepared for them(2 Pet. 2 , 1-2, 15, 17).

Heresy is understood as a lie that a person follows consciously. The path that Jesus Christ opened requires dedication and effort from a person so that it becomes clear whether he really entered this path with firm intention and love for the truth. It is not enough to just call yourself a Christian; you must prove with your deeds, words and thoughts, with your whole life, that you are a Christian. He who loves the truth, for its sake, is ready to renounce all lies in his thoughts and his life, so that the truth may enter into him, cleanse and sanctify him.

But not everyone embarks on this path with pure intentions. And their 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 action - when a person violates the commandments of God by deed, and there is a sin of mind - when a person prefers his lie to the Divine truth. The second is called heresy. And among those who called themselves Christians at different times, there were both people devoted to the sin of action, and people devoted to the sin of the mind. Both people resist God. Either person, if he has made a firm choice in favor of sin, cannot remain in the Church and falls away from it. Thus, throughout history, everyone who chose sin left the Orthodox Church.

The Apostle John spoke about them: They left us, but they were not ours: for if they were ours, they would have remained with us; but they came out, and through this it was revealed that not all of us(1 Jn. 2 , 19).

Their fate is unenviable, because the Scripture says that those who surrender heresies... will not inherit the Kingdom of God(Gal. 5 , 20-21).

Precisely because a person is free, he can always make a choice and use freedom either for good, by choosing the path to God, or for evil, by choosing sin. This is the reason that false teachers arose and those who believed them more than Christ and His Church arose.

When heretics appeared, introducing lies, the holy fathers of the Orthodox Church began to explain to them their errors and called on them to abandon fiction and turn to the truth. Some, convinced by their words, were corrected, but not all. And about those who persisted in lies, the Church pronounced its judgment, testifying that they were not true followers of Christ and members of the community of the faithful founded by Him. This is how the apostolic council was fulfilled: After the first and second admonition, turn away from the heretic, knowing that such a one has become corrupted 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 arose in the 5th century), the Roman Catholic Church (which fell away from the Ecumenical Orthodox Church in the 11th century) and Churches that call themselves Protestant. Today we will look at how the path of Protestantism differs from the path of the Orthodox Church.

Protestantism

If any branch breaks off from a tree, then, having lost contact with the vital juices, it will inevitably begin to dry out, lose its leaves, become fragile and easily break at the first onslaught.

The same is evident in the life of all communities that separated from the Orthodox Church. Just as a broken branch cannot retain its leaves, so those who are separated from true church unity can no longer maintain their inner unity. This happens because, having left God’s family, they lose touch with the life-giving and saving power of the Holy Spirit, and that sinful desire to resist 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 already separated from it, following the ideas of the former Catholic priest Luther and his like-minded people. They formed their own communities, which they began to consider as the “Church”. This movement is collectively called Protestants, and their separation itself is called the Reformation.

In turn, Protestants also did not maintain internal unity, but began to divide even more 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 a protest against the teachings and religious practices of the Roman Catholic Church.

As Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) notes, indeed, “many misconceptions have 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 own errors; Some of Rome’s misconceptions, very important ones, were fully followed, and some were strengthened.” “The Protestants rebelled against the ugly power and divinity of the popes; but since they acted on the impulse of passions, drowning in depravity, and not with the direct goal of striving for the holy Truth, they did not turn out to be worthy to see it.”

They abandoned the erroneous idea that the Pope is the head of the Church, but retained the Catholic error that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son.

Scripture

Protestants formulated the principle: “Scripture only,” which means that they recognize only the Bible as its authority, and they reject the Holy Tradition of the Church.

And in this they contradict themselves, because the Holy Scripture itself indicates the need to honor the Holy Tradition coming from the apostles: stand and keep the traditions that you were 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 probably turn out that someone understood the text correctly, and someone incorrectly, putting their own meaning into these words. It is known that any text has different options for understanding. They may be true, or they may be wrong. The same is true with the text of Holy Scripture, if we tear it away from Holy Tradition. Indeed, Protestants think that Scripture should be understood the way anyone wants. But this 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 passage of Holy Scripture. “But you have your own missionary teachers - ask them,” I tell them. “What do they answer?” - “We asked them, they said: 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 are apart from the Sacred We also accept the Holy Tradition from the Scriptures, and the Holy Tradition is the living, uninterrupted voice... of our Church from the time of Christ and His Apostles to this day, which will remain until the end of the world. The whole of Holy Scripture is based on it.”

The Apostle Peter himself testifies that no prophecy in Scripture can be resolved by oneself, for prophecy was never pronounced 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 holy fathers, moved by the same Holy Spirit, can reveal to man a true understanding of the Word of God.

Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition form one inseparable whole, and have been so 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 same thing orally to the first Orthodox Christians. Protestants want to imitate the early apostolic communities in their structure, but in the early years the early Christians had no New Testament scriptures at all, and everything was passed on from mouth to mouth, like 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, long before the appearance of Protestants, that lovingly preserved the Holy Scriptures in its communities.

Protestants, using the Bible, which was not written by them, not collected by them, not preserved by them, reject the Holy Tradition, and thereby close to themselves the true understanding of the Word of God. Therefore, they often argue about the Bible and often come up with their own, human traditions that have no connection either with the apostles or with the Holy Spirit, and fall, according to the word of the apostle, into empty deception, according to human tradition..., and not according to Christ(Col. 2:8).

Sacraments

Protestants rejected the priesthood and sacred rites, not believing that God could act through them, and even if they left something similar, it was only the name, believing that these were only symbols and reminders of historical events remaining in the past, and not a holy reality in 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 every bishop and priest has the blessing of God, which can be traced from our days to Jesus Christ Himself. The Protestant pastor is only a speaker and administrator of the life of the community.

As Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says, “Luther... passionately rejecting the lawless power of the popes, rejected the legal one, rejected the episcopal rank itself, the consecration itself, despite the fact that the establishment of both belonged 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 Mary and saints

The Most Holy Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the human race of 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. And indeed, from then until now, from generation to generation, all Orthodox Christians have venerated the Most Holy Theotokos, the Virgin Mary. But Protestants do not want to honor and please her, contrary to Scripture.

The Virgin Mary, like all the saints, that is, people who have walked 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 person, if his beloved friend asks him for something, will definitely try to fulfill it, and God also willingly listens and quickly 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 to save them from shame (Jn. 2 , 1-11).

Scripture reports 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 Scripture directly says that departed saints make requests to God and He hears them (see: Rev. 6 , 9-10). Therefore, Orthodox Christians venerate the Most Holy Virgin Mary and other saints and turn to them with requests that they intercede with God on our behalf. Experience shows that many healings, deliverances from death and other help are received by those who resort to their prayerful intercession.

For example, in 1395, the great Mongol commander Tamerlane with a huge army went to Russia to capture and destroy its cities, including the capital, Moscow. The Russians did not have enough strength to resist such an army. Orthodox residents of Moscow began to earnestly ask the Most Holy Theotokos to pray to God to save them from the impending disaster. And so, one morning Tamerlane unexpectedly announced to his military leaders that they needed 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 the top of which stood a beautiful shining woman, who ordered him to leave the Russian lands. And, although Tamerlane was not an Orthodox Christian, out of fear and respect for the holiness and spiritual power of the appeared Virgin Mary, he submitted to Her.

Prayers for the dead

Those Orthodox Christians who during their lifetime were unable to 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 Protestants do not want to admit this either, and refuse to pray for the dead.

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The Lord Jesus Christ, speaking about his followers, said: the 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 captured Him to take Him to trial, and the second time on Friday, when the villains crucified Him on the Cross. Therefore, in fulfillment of the words of the Savior, Orthodox Christians have fasted every Wednesday and Friday since ancient times, abstaining for the sake of the Lord from eating animal products, as well as from various types of entertainment.

The Lord Jesus Christ fasted for forty days and nights (see: Matt. 4 , 2), setting an example for His disciples (see: Jn. 13 , 15). And the apostles, as the Bible says, with worshiped 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

Anyone who wants to worship the true God should not worship false gods, which are either invented by people or by 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 worship themselves.

However, having ordered the construction of the temple, the Lord, even in these ancient times, also ordered to make images of cherubim in it (see: Ex. 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 Christians persecuted by pagans gathered for prayer and sacred rites in the 2nd-3rd centuries, they depicted the Virgin Mary, the apostles, and scenes from the Gospel. These ancient sacred images have survived to this day. In the same way, in 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 in soul to prototype, concentrate your energy on praying to him. After such prayers in front of holy icons, God often sends help to people, and miraculous healings often occur. In particular, Orthodox Christians prayed for deliverance from Tamerlane’s army in 1395 at one of the icons of the Mother of God - the Vladimir icon.

However, Protestants, due to their error, reject the veneration of sacred images, not understanding the difference between them and between idols. This stems from their erroneous understanding of the Bible, as well as from the corresponding spiritual mood - after all, only someone 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 the image of an evil spirit.

Other differences

Protestants believe that if a person recognizes Jesus Christ as God and Savior, then he already becomes saved and holy, and no special works are needed for this. And Orthodox Christians, following the Apostle James, believe that Faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself(James. 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(Matt. 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, Protestants do not have monasticism or monasteries, but Orthodox Christians do. The monks work zealously to fulfill all the commandments of Christ. And in addition, they take three additional vows for the sake of God: a vow of celibacy, a vow of non-covetousness (not having their own property) and a vow of obedience to a spiritual leader. In this they imitate the Apostle Paul, who was celibate, non-covetous and completely obedient to the Lord. The monastic path is considered higher and more glorious than the path of a layman - a family man, but a layman can also be saved and 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 the 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 he recognizes Protestantism, we have our teaching, then, as far as I know, he always accepts Orthodoxy.<...>What is this? Yes, that in Orthodoxy the teaching of Christ is kept pure and whole; We have not added anything to it, like Catholics, and have taken nothing away, like Protestants.”

Indeed, Orthodox Christians are convinced, as Saint Theophan the Recluse says, of this immutable truth: “What God has revealed and what He has commanded, nothing should be added to it, nor anything taken away from it. This applies to Catholics and Protestants. Those are adding everything, but these are subtracting... The Catholics have muddied the apostolic tradition. The Protestants set out to correct the matter - and made it even worse. Catholics have one pope, but Protestants have one pope, no matter the Protestant.”

Therefore, everyone who is truly interested in the truth, and not in their own thoughts, both in past centuries and in our time, certainly finds their way to the Orthodox Church, and often, even without any effort from Orthodox Christians, God Himself leads such people to the truth. As an example, here are two stories that happened recently, the participants and witnesses of which are still alive.

US case

In the 1960s, in the American state of California, in the cities of Ben Lomon and Santa Barbara, a large group of young Protestants came to the conclusion that all the Protestant Churches they knew could not be the real Church, since they assumed that after the apostles the Church of Christ had disappeared , and it was supposedly revived only in the 16th century by Luther and other leaders of Protestantism. But such a thought 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 Christians, from the earliest antiquity, from the first century to the second, then to the third, and so on, tracing the continuous history of the Church founded by Christ and His apostles. And so, 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 or instilled in them such thoughts, 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, more than two thousand people, accepted Orthodoxy.

Case in Benini

Another story happened in West Africa, in Benin. In this country there were no Orthodox Christians at all, most of the inhabitants were pagans, a few professed Islam, and some were Catholics or Protestants.

One of them, a man named Optat Bekhanzin, suffered a misfortune in 1969: his five-year-old son Eric became seriously ill and suffered from paralysis. Bekhanzin took his son to the hospital, but doctors said that the boy could not be cured. Then the grief-stricken father turned to his Protestant “Church” and began attending prayer meetings in the hope that God would heal his son. But these prayers were fruitless. After this, Optat gathered some close people at his home, persuading them to pray together to Jesus Christ for Eric’s healing. And after their prayer a miracle happened: the boy was healed; it strengthened the small community. Subsequently, more and more miraculous healings occurred through their prayers to God. Therefore, more and more people came to them - both Catholics and Protestants.

In 1975, the community decided to form itself as an independent church, and the believers decided to pray and fast intensely in order to find out the will of God. And at that moment, Eric Bekhanzin, who was already eleven years old, received a revelation: when asked what they should call their church community, God answered: “My Church is called the Orthodox Church.” This greatly surprised the Benin people, 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 way since ancient times and dates back to the apostles, they all 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 truly seek the path of holiness leading to the truth, and brings such a person to 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 Cyrularius and his followers. A few days later, a council was held in Constantinople, at which Cardinal Humbert and his henchmen were reciprocally anathematized. Disagreements between representatives of the Roman and Greek churches also intensified due to political disagreements: Byzantium argued with Rome for power. The mistrust of East and West turned into open hostility after the Crusade against Byzantium in 1202, when Western Christians went against their eastern fellow believers. Only in 1964, Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and Pope Paul VI officially The anathema of 1054 was lifted. However, differences in traditions have become deeply entrenched over the centuries.

Church organization

The Orthodox Church includes several independent Churches. In addition to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), there is 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 sacraments and prayers (which, according to the catechism of Metropolitan Philaret, is a necessary condition for individual Churches to be part of the one Universal Church). Also, not all Orthodox Churches recognize each other as true churches. Orthodox Christians consider Jesus Christ to be 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 communication with each other, and also follow the same creed 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, Byzantine rites, etc. Therefore, there are Catholics of the Roman rite, Catholics of the Byzantine rite, etc., but they are all members of the same Church. Catholics also consider the Pope to be the head of the Church.

Divine service

The main worship service for the Orthodox is the Divine Liturgy, for Catholics it is the Mass (Catholic liturgy).

During services in the Russian Orthodox Church, it is customary to stand as a sign of humility before God. In other Eastern Rite Churches, sitting is allowed during services. As a sign of unconditional submission, Orthodox Christians kneel. Contrary to popular belief, it is customary for Catholics to both sit and stand during worship. There are services that Catholics listen to on their knees.

Mother of God

In Orthodoxy, the Mother of God is first and foremost the Mother of God. She is revered as a saint, but she was born in original sin, like all mere mortals, and died like all people. Unlike Orthodoxy, Catholicism believes that the Virgin Mary was conceived immaculately without original sin and at the end of her life was ascended to heaven alive.

Symbol of faith

Orthodox believe that the Holy Spirit comes only from the Father. Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and from the Son.

Sacraments

The Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church recognize seven main Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation (Confirmation), Communion (Eucharist), Penance (Confession), Priesthood (Ordination), Anointing (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 adult is immersed in the font. In a Catholic church, an adult or child is sprinkled with water. The sacrament of communion (Eucharist) is celebrated 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 celebrated on unleavened bread. The priesthood partakes of both the Blood and the Body, while the laity partakes only 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 remain awaiting heaven.

Faith and morals
The Orthodox Church recognizes only 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 Orthodoxy, divorces are allowed in individual cases, which are decided by priests. The Orthodox clergy is divided into “white” and “black”. Representatives of the “white clergy” are allowed to marry. True, then they will not be able to receive episcopal or higher rank. “Black clergy” are monks who take a vow of celibacy. For Catholics, the sacrament of marriage is considered to be for life and divorce is prohibited. All Catholic religious clergy take a vow of celibacy.

Sign of the Cross

Orthodox Christians cross themselves only from right to left with three fingers. Catholics cross themselves from left to right. They do not have a single rule for how to place your fingers when creating a cross, so several options have taken root.

Icons
On Orthodox icons, saints are depicted in two dimensions according to the tradition of reverse perspective. This emphasizes that the action takes place in another dimension - in the world of spirit. Orthodox icons are monumental, austere and symbolic. Among Catholics, saints are depicted naturalistically, often in the form of statues. Catholic icons are painted in straight perspective.

Sculptural images of Christ, the Virgin Mary 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 located at the top, symbolizing the tablet with the inscription “This is Jesus, King of the Jews,” which was nailed above the head of the crucified Christ. The lower crossbar is a footstool 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, went to hell. On the Orthodox cross, each foot of Christ is nailed with a separate nail. Unlike the Orthodox cross, the Catholic cross consists of two crossbars. If it depicts Jesus, then both of Jesus' feet are nailed to the base of the cross with one nail. Christ on Catholic crucifixes, as well as on icons, is depicted naturalistically - his body sags under the weight, torment and suffering are noticeable throughout the image.

Funeral service for the deceased
Orthodox Christians commemorate the dead on the 3rd, 9th and 40th days, then every other year. Catholics always remember the dead on Remembrance Day - November 1st. In some European countries November 1st is official m on days off. The deceased are also remembered on the 3rd, 7th and 30th days after death, but this tradition is not strictly observed.

Despite the existing differences, both Catholics and Orthodox Christians 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 generally accepted 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 primacy of the Pope in matters of faith and discipline, morality and government. Orthodox churches do not recognize the primacy of the Pope.
4. Churches see differently 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 rituals for their implementation are different.
6. Unlike Catholicism, Orthodoxy does not have a dogma about purgatory.
7. Orthodox and Catholics create 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 depict saints on icons in a naturalistic manner. Also among Catholics, sculptural images of Christ, the Virgin Mary and saints are common.
    

So...Everyone understands that Catholicism and Orthodoxy, like Protestantism, are directions of one religion - Christianity. Despite the fact that both Catholicism and Orthodoxy belong 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 many churches that may differ from each other both in organization and in individual details of doctrine.

Protestantism is characterized by the absence of a fundamental opposition between the clergy and the laity, the rejection of a complex church hierarchy, a simplified cult, the absence of monasticism, and celibacy; in Protestantism there is no cult of the Mother of God, saints, angels, icons, the number of sacraments is reduced to two (baptism and communion).
The main source of doctrine is Holy Scripture. Protestantism is widespread 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 together with Catholics and Orthodox Christians they share the fundamental principles of Christianity.
However, the views of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants on some issues differ. Protestants value the authority of the Bible above all else. Orthodox and Catholics 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 pray not for these only, but also for those who believe in Me through 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; 1John 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 about, are nothing more than ordinary anthropomorphisms used with the aim of giving to the widest possible circle of people, in the most accessible form, an idea of ​​God’s providence 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 Divine is alien to all such things; it is said this way in order to bring the subject closer to the understanding of cruder people” (Conversation on Ps. VI. 2. // Creations. T.V. Book. 1. St. Petersburg, 1899, p. 49).

To each his own...

Although in 1965 the mutual anathemas were lifted and Catholics and Orthodox no longer look askance at each other, proclaiming the idea of ​​common roots and principles, in reality differences still remain.

So, what is the difference between Catholics and Orthodox Christians? It turns out that the point is not at all that some cross themselves from right to left, and others vice versa (however, this is also the case). The essence of the contradictions is much deeper.

1. Catholics venerate the Virgin Mary precisely as a Virgin, while Orthodox Christians see her primarily as the Mother of God. In addition, Catholics postulate the fact that the Virgin Mary was as immaculately conceived as Christ. From the point of view of Catholics, she was ascended alive to heaven during her lifetime, while Orthodox Christians even have an apocryphal story about the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. And this is not the Hicks Boson, the existence of which you can believe or not, and this does not prevent you from conducting research and someday getting to the bottom of the truth. Here is a fundamental question - if you doubt the postulate of faith, then you cannot be considered a full-fledged believer.

2. Among Catholics, all priests must observe celibacy - they are forbidden to have sex, much less get married. Among the Orthodox, the clergy is divided into black and white. That is, this is why deacons and priests can and even must marry, be fruitful and multiply, while sex is prohibited for the black clergy (monks). At all. It is believed that only monastics can achieve the highest ranks and titles in Orthodoxy. Sometimes, in order to be promoted to bishop, local priests have to part with their wives. The best way to do this is to send your wife to a monastery.

3. Catholics recognize the existence (besides hell and heaven) of purgatory - where the soul, recognized as not too sinful, but also not righteous, is properly fried and bleached before it manages to penetrate the gates of heaven. Orthodox Christians do not believe in purgatory. However, their ideas about heaven and hell are generally vague - it is believed that knowledge about them is closed to humans in earthly life. Catholics long ago calculated the thickness of all nine paradise crystal vaults, compiled a list of plants growing in paradise, and even measured in honey measures the sweetness experienced by the tongue of the soul that first inhaled the aromas of paradise.

4. The essential point concerns the main prayer of Christians, the “Symbol of Faith.” Listing what exactly the adept believes in, he says “in the Holy Spirit, the life-giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father.” Unlike the Orthodox, Catholics also add “and from the Son” here. A question on which many theologians have broken spears.

5. At communion, Catholics eat unleavened bread, while Orthodox Christians eat bread made from leavened dough. It would seem that here we can meet each other, but who will take the first step?

6. During baptism, Catholics only pour water on children and adults, but in Orthodoxy it is necessary to plunge headlong into the font. Therefore, large babies who do not fit completely into the children's font, as a result of which the priest is forced to pour a handful of water on the protruding parts of their body, are called “drenched” in Orthodoxy. It is believed, although unofficially, that demons have more power over Oblivanians than over those who are normally baptized.

7. Catholics cross themselves from left to right and with all five fingers joined together. At the same time, they do not reach to the stomach, but make a lower touch in the chest area. This gives the Orthodox, who cross themselves with three fingers (in some cases two) from right to left, reason to claim that Catholics draw on themselves not a normal cross, but an upside-down one, that is, a satanic sign.

8. Catholics are obsessed with fighting any type of contraception, which seems especially appropriate during the AIDS pandemic. And Orthodoxy recognizes the possibility of using some contraceptives that do not have an abortifacient effect, for example, condoms and female contraceptives. Of course, legally married.

9. Well, Catholics consider the Pope to be the infallible representative of God on earth. In the Orthodox Church, the Patriarch holds a similar position. Which, theoretically, can also fail.

The first external difference between Catholic and Orthodox symbols concerns the image of the cross and crucifixion. If in the early Christian tradition there were 16 types of cross shapes, today a four-sided cross is traditionally associated with Catholicism, and an eight-pointed or six-pointed cross with Orthodoxy.

The words on the sign on the crosses are the same, only the languages ​​in which the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” is written are different. In Catholicism it is Latin: INRI. Some Eastern churches use the Greek abbreviation INBI from the Greek text Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ Bασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων. The Romanian Orthodox Church uses the Latin version, and in the Russian and Church Slavonic versions the abbreviation looks like I.Н.Ц.I. It is interesting that this spelling was approved in Russia only after Nikon’s reform; before that, “Tsar of Glory” was often written on the tablet. This spelling was preserved by the Old Believers.

The number of nails often also differs on Orthodox and Catholic crucifixes. Catholics have three, Orthodox have four. The most fundamental difference between the symbolism of the cross in the two churches is that on the Catholic cross Christ is depicted in an extremely naturalistic way, with wounds and blood, wearing a crown of thorns, with his arms sagging under the weight of his body, while on the Orthodox crucifix there are no naturalistic traces of the suffering of Christ, the image of the Savior shows the victory of life over death, the Spirit over the body.

Why are they baptized differently?

Catholics and Orthodox Christians have many differences in rituals. Thus, differences in performing the sign of the cross are obvious. Orthodox Christians cross from right to left, Catholics from left to right. The norm for the Catholic blessing of the cross was approved in 1570 by Pope Pius V: “He who blesses himself... makes a cross from his forehead to his chest and from his left shoulder to his right.” In the Orthodox tradition, the norm for performing the sign of the cross changed in terms of two and three fingers, but church leaders wrote before and after Nikon’s reform that one should be baptized from right to left.

Catholics usually cross themselves with all five fingers as a sign of the “sores on the body of the Lord Jesus Christ” - two on the hands, two on the feet, one from a spear. In Orthodoxy, after Nikon’s reform, three fingers were adopted: three fingers folded together (symbolism of the Trinity), two fingers pressed to the palm (the two natures of Christ - divine and human. In the Romanian Church, these two fingers are interpreted as a symbol of Adam and Eve falling to the Trinity).

Supererogatory merits of the saints

In addition to the obvious differences in the ritual part, in the monastic system of the two churches, in the traditions of iconography, Orthodox and Catholics have a lot of differences in the dogmatic part. Thus, the Orthodox Church does not recognize the Catholic teaching about the supererogatory merits of saints, according to which the great Catholic saints,

The teachers of the church left an inexhaustible treasury of “excessive good works” so that sinners could then use the riches from it for their salvation. The manager of the wealth from this treasury is the Catholic Church and the Pontiff personally. Depending on the zeal of the sinner, the Pontiff can take wealth from the treasury and provide it to the sinful person, since the person does not have enough of his own good deeds to save him.

The concept of “extraordinary merit” is directly related to the concept of “indulgence,” when a person is freed from punishment for his sins for the amount contributed.

Papal infallibility

At the end of the 19th century, the Roman Catholic Church proclaimed the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope. According to him, when the pope (as the head of the Church) determines its teaching concerning faith or morals, he has infallibility (inerrancy) and is protected from the very possibility of being mistaken. This doctrinal infallibility is a gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Pope as the successor of the Apostle Peter by virtue of apostolic succession, and is not based on his personal infallibility.

The dogma was officially proclaimed in the dogmatic constitution Pastor Aeternus on July 18, 1870, along with the assertion of the "ordinary and immediate" power of jurisdiction of the pontiff in the universal Church. The Pope only once exercised his right to proclaim a new doctrine ex cathedra: in 1950, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dogma of inerrancy was confirmed at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) in the dogmatic constitution of the Church Lumen Gentium. The Orthodox Church accepted neither the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope nor the dogma of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary. Also, the Orthodox Church does not recognize the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

Purgatory and ordeals

Orthodoxy and Catholicism also differ in their understanding of what the human soul goes through after death. Catholicism has a dogma about purgatory - a special state in which the soul of the deceased is located. Orthodoxy denies the existence of purgatory, although it recognizes the need for prayers for the dead. In Orthodoxy, unlike Catholicism, there is a teaching about aerial ordeals, obstacles through which the soul of every Christian must pass on the way to the throne of God for private judgment.

Two angels lead the soul along this path. Each of the ordeals, of which there are 20, is controlled by demons - unclean spirits who are trying to take the soul going through the ordeal to hell. In the words of St. Theophan the Recluse: “No matter how wild the thought of ordeals may seem to wise men, they cannot be avoided.” The Catholic Church does not recognize the doctrine of ordeals.

"Filioque"

The key dogmatic divergence between the Orthodox and Catholic churches is the “filioque” (Latin filioque - “and the Son”) - an addition to the Latin translation of the Creed, adopted by the Western (Roman) Church in the 11th century in the dogma of the Trinity: the procession of the Holy Spirit not only from God the Father, but “from the Father and the Son.” Pope Benedict VIII included the term “filioque” in the Creed in 1014, which caused a storm of indignation on the part of Orthodox theologians. It was the “filioque” that became the “stumbling block” and caused the final division of the churches in 1054. It was finally established at the so-called “unification” councils - Lyon (1274) and Ferrara-Florence (1431-1439).

In modern Catholic theology, the attitude towards the filioque, oddly enough, has changed greatly. Thus, on August 6, 2000, the Catholic Church published the declaration “Dominus Iesus” (“Lord Jesus”). The author of this declaration was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). In this document, in the second paragraph of the first part, the text of the Creed is given in the wording without the “filioque”: “Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre procedit, qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur, qui locutus est per prophetas” . (“And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord who gives life, who proceeds from the Father, to whom, together with the Father and the Son, belongs worship and glory, who spoke through the prophets”).

No official, conciliar decisions followed this declaration, so the situation with the “filioque” remains the same. The main difference between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church is that the head of the Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ; in Catholicism, the church is headed by the Vicar of Jesus Christ, its visible head (Vicarius Christi), the Pope.

Orthodoxy differs from Catholicism, but not everyone can answer the question of what exactly these differences are. There are differences between churches in symbolism, ritual, and dogmatic parts... Which main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism ?

The first external difference between Catholic and Orthodox symbols concerns the image of the cross and crucifixion. If in the early Christian tradition there were 16 types of cross shapes, today a four-sided cross is traditionally associated with Catholicism, and an eight-pointed or six-pointed cross with Orthodoxy.

The words on the sign on the crosses are the same, only the languages ​​in which the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” is written are different. In Catholicism it is Latin: INRI. Some Eastern churches use the Greek abbreviation INBI from the Greek text Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ Bασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων.

The Romanian Orthodox Church uses the Latin version, and in the Russian and Church Slavonic versions the abbreviation looks like I.Н.Ц.I.

It is interesting that this spelling was approved in Russia only after Nikon’s reform; before that, “Tsar of Glory” was often written on the tablet. This spelling was preserved by the Old Believers.

The number of nails often also differs on Orthodox and Catholic crucifixes. Catholics have three, Orthodox have four.

The most fundamental difference between the symbolism of the cross in the two churches is that on the Catholic cross Christ is depicted in an extremely naturalistic way, with wounds and blood, wearing a crown of thorns, with his arms sagging under the weight of his body, while on the Orthodox crucifix there are no naturalistic traces of the suffering of Christ, the image of the Savior shows the victory of life over death, the Spirit over the body.

Catholics and Orthodox Christians have many differences in rituals. Thus, differences in performing the sign of the cross are obvious. Orthodox Christians cross from right to left, Catholics from left to right.

The norm for the Catholic blessing of the cross was approved in 1570 by Pope Pius V: “He who blesses himself... makes a cross from his forehead to his chest and from his left shoulder to his right.”

In the Orthodox tradition, the norm for performing the sign of the cross changed in terms of two and three fingers, but church leaders wrote before and after Nikon’s reform that one should be baptized from right to left.

Catholics usually cross themselves with all five fingers as a sign of the “sores on the body of the Lord Jesus Christ” - two on the hands, two on the feet, one from a spear. In Orthodoxy, after Nikon’s reform, three fingers were adopted: three fingers folded together (symbolism of the Trinity), two fingers pressed to the palm (the two natures of Christ - divine and human. In the Romanian Church, these two fingers are interpreted as a symbol of Adam and Eve falling to the Trinity).

In addition to the obvious differences in the ritual part, in the monastic system of the two churches, in the traditions of iconography, Orthodox and Catholics have a lot of differences in the dogmatic part.

Thus, the Orthodox Church does not recognize the Catholic teaching about the supererogatory merits of saints, according to which the great Catholic saints, the Doctors of the Church, left an inexhaustible treasury of “extraordinarily good deeds”, so that sinners could then take advantage of the riches from it for their salvation.

The manager of the wealth from this treasury is the Catholic Church and the Pontiff personally.

Depending on the zeal of the sinner, the Pontiff can take wealth from the treasury and provide it to the sinful person, since the person does not have enough of his own good deeds to save him.

The concept of “extraordinary merit” is directly related to the concept of “indulgence,” when a person is freed from punishment for his sins for the amount contributed.

At the end of the 19th century, the Roman Catholic Church proclaimed the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope. According to him, when the pope (as the head of the Church) determines its teaching concerning faith or morals, he has infallibility (inerrancy) and is protected from the very possibility of being mistaken.

This doctrinal infallibility is a gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Pope as the successor of the Apostle Peter by virtue of apostolic succession, and is not based on his personal infallibility.

The dogma was officially proclaimed in the dogmatic constitution Pastor Aeternus on July 18, 1870, along with the assertion of the "ordinary and immediate" power of jurisdiction of the pontiff in the universal Church.

The Pope only once exercised his right to proclaim a new doctrine ex cathedra: in 1950, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dogma of inerrancy was confirmed at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) in the dogmatic constitution of the Church Lumen Gentium.

The Orthodox Church accepted neither the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope nor the dogma of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary. Also, the Orthodox Church does not recognize the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

Orthodoxy and Catholicism also differ in their understanding of what the human soul goes through after death. Catholicism has a dogma about purgatory - a special state in which the soul of the deceased is located. Orthodoxy denies the existence of purgatory, although it recognizes the need for prayers for the dead.

In Orthodoxy, unlike Catholicism, there is a teaching about aerial ordeals, obstacles through which the soul of every Christian must pass on the way to the throne of God for private judgment.

Two angels lead the soul along this path. Each of the ordeals, of which there are 20, is controlled by demons - unclean spirits who are trying to take the soul going through the ordeal to hell. In the words of St. Theophan the Recluse: “No matter how wild the thought of ordeals may seem to wise men, they cannot be avoided.” The Catholic Church does not recognize the doctrine of ordeals.

The key dogmatic divergence between the Orthodox and Catholic churches is the “filioque” (Latin filioque - “and the Son”) - an addition to the Latin translation of the Creed, adopted by the Western (Roman) Church in the 11th century in the dogma of the Trinity: the procession of the Holy Spirit not only from God the Father, but “from the Father and the Son.”

Pope Benedict VIII included the term “filioque” in the Creed in 1014, which caused a storm of indignation on the part of Orthodox theologians.

It was the “filioque” that became the “stumbling block” and caused the final division of the churches in 1054.

It was finally established at the so-called “unification” councils - Lyon (1274) and Ferrara-Florence (1431-1439).

In modern Catholic theology, the attitude towards the filioque, oddly enough, has changed greatly. Thus, on August 6, 2000, the Catholic Church published the declaration “Dominus Iesus” (“Lord Jesus”). The author of this declaration was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).

In this document, in the second paragraph of the first part, the text of the Creed is given in the wording without the “filioque”: “Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre procedit, qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur, qui locutus est per prophetas” . (“And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord who gives life, who proceeds from the Father, to whom, together with the Father and the Son, belongs worship and glory, who spoke through the prophets”).

No official, conciliar decisions followed this declaration, so the situation with the “filioque” remains the same.

The main difference between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church is that the head of the Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ; in Catholicism, the church is headed by the Vicar of Jesus Christ, its visible head (Vicarius Christi), the Pope.