Having become acquainted with the traditions of the Catholic Church in Europe and having talked with my priest upon my return, I discovered that there is much in common between the two directions of Christianity, but there are also fundamental differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, which, among other things, influenced the split of the once united Christian Church.

In my article I decided to talk in an accessible language about the differences between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church and their general outline.

Although churchmen argue that the matter is due to “irreconcilable religious differences,” scientists are confident that this was, first of all, a political decision. The tension between Constantinople and Rome forced the confessors to look for a reason to clarify the relationship and ways to resolve the conflict.

It was difficult not to notice the features that had already taken hold in the West, where Rome dominated, different from those accepted in Constantinople, so they latched on to this: different structures in matters of hierarchy, aspects of religious doctrine, the conduct of sacraments - everything was used.

Due to political tensions, the existing differences between the two traditions existing in different parts the collapsed Roman Empire. The reason for the current uniqueness was the differences in culture and mentality of the western and eastern parts.

And, if the existence of one strong, large state made the church unified, with its disappearance the connection between Rome and Constantinople weakened, contributing to the creation and rooting in the western part of the country of some traditions unusual for the East.

The division of the once united Christian church along territorial lines did not happen overnight. East and West went towards this for years, culminating in the 11th century. In 1054, during the Council, the Patriarch of Constantinople was deposed by envoys of the Pope.

In response, he anathematized the Pope's envoys. The heads of the remaining patriarchates shared the position of Patriarch Michael, and the split deepened. The final break dates back to the 4th Crusade, which sacked Constantinople. Thus, the united Christian church split into Catholic and Orthodox.

Now Christianity unites three different directions: the Orthodox and Catholic Church, Protestantism. There is no single church uniting Protestants: there are hundreds of denominations. The Catholic Church is monolithic, led by the Pope, to whom all believers and dioceses submit.

15 independent and mutually recognizing churches constitute the asset of Orthodoxy. Both directions are religious systems, including own hierarchy and internal rules, doctrine and worship, cultural traditions.

Common features of Catholicism and Orthodoxy

Followers of both churches believe in Christ, consider Him an example to follow, and try to follow His commandments. Holy Bible for them it is the Bible.

At the foundation of the traditions of Catholicism and Orthodoxy are the apostles-disciples of Christ, who founded Christian centers in major world cities (the Christian world relied on these communities). Thanks to them, both directions have sacraments, similar creeds, exalt the same saints, and have the same Creed.

Followers of both churches believe in the power of the Holy Trinity.

The view on family formation in both directions converges. Marriage between a man and a woman occurs with the blessing of the church and is considered a sacrament. Same-sex marriage are not recognized. Entering into intimate relationships before marriage is unworthy of a Christian and is considered a sin, and same-sex relationships are considered a grave sin.

Followers of both directions agree that both the Catholic and Orthodox directions of the church represent Christianity, albeit in different ways. The difference for them is significant and irreconcilable: for more than a thousand years there has been no unity in the method of worship and communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, therefore they do not celebrate communion together.

Orthodox and Catholics: what is the difference

The result of deep religious differences between East and West was the schism that occurred in 1054. Representatives of both movements claim striking differences between them in their religious worldview. Such contradictions will be discussed further. For ease of understanding, I have compiled a special table of differences.

Let's sum it up

Despite the centuries-old schism between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, which is not expected to be overcome in the near future, there are many similarities that indicate common origins.

There are many differences, so significant that combining the two directions is not possible. However, regardless of their differences, Catholics and Orthodox believe in Jesus Christ and carry His teachings and values ​​throughout the world. Human errors have divided Christians, but faith in the Lord gives the unity for which Christ prayed.

The final division of the United Christian Church into Orthodoxy and Catholicism occurred in 1054. However, both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches consider themselves only “one holy, catholic (conciliar) and apostolic Church.”

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 are different countries 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.

The main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism:

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

2. The Catholic Church confesses in the Creed that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (“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.

3. The Catholic Church professes that the sacrament of marriage is for life and prohibits divorce, while the Orthodox Church allows divorce in some cases.

4. 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. IN Orthodox teaching there is no purgatory (although there is something similar - ordeal). But the prayers of the Orthodox for the dead suggest that there are souls in an intermediate state for whom there is still hope of going to heaven after the Last Judgment;

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

6. The 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.

7. The Catholic Church has 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;

8. The Catholic Church has proclaimed the dogma that the Pope is infallible in matters of faith and morals 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;

9. Orthodox Christians cross themselves from right to left, and Catholics from left to right.

Catholics were long allowed to be baptized in either of these two ways until Pope Pius V ordered them to do so from left to right and no other way in 1570. With such a movement of the hand, the sign of the cross, according to Christian symbolism, is considered to come from a person who turns to God. And when the hand moves from right to left, it comes from God, who blesses a person. It is no coincidence that both Orthodox and catholic priest cross those around them from left to right (looking away from themselves). For someone standing opposite the priest, it is like a blessing gesture from right to left. In addition, moving the hand from left to right means moving from sin to salvation, since the left side in Christianity is associated with the devil, and the right with the divine. And with the sign of the cross from right to left, moving the hand is interpreted as a victory of the divine over the devil.

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

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

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

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

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

Confessionals or confessionals

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

13. In the Eastern rite, children begin to receive communion from infancy; in the Western rite, first communion is given only at the age of 7-8 years.

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

15. Lent in the Latin rite it begins on Ash Wednesday, and in the Byzantine rite it begins on Clean Monday.

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

17. The Orthodox clergy mostly wears a beard. Catholic clergy are generally beardless.

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

19. One of the aspects of sin in Catholicism is considered to be an insult to God. According to the Orthodox view, since God is dispassionate, simple and unchanging, it is impossible to offend God; by sins we harm only ourselves (he who commits sin is a slave of sin).

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

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

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

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

23. Catholics are hell-bent on opposing contraception of any kind, which seems especially pertinent 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.

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

25. Orthodox Christians use leavened bread for communion. Catholics are bland. At communion, the Orthodox receive bread, red wine (the body and blood of Christ) and warm water (“warmth” is a symbol of the Holy Spirit), Catholics receive only bread and white wine (the laity receive only bread).

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

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 in the middle of the 20th century the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Holy See lifted mutual anathemas, the world did not unite, and the reason for this was both dogmatic differences between both faiths and political contradictions that were closely associated with the Church throughout its existence.

This state of affairs persists even though most states where the population professes Christianity, and where it took 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 Scripture.

Sources of conflict

United Christian church(hereinafter referred to as 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 man in the ancient Mediterranean, and it was significantly different from that of the people of the East. The final unified dogma of the EC was developed during the period of apologists, and its formation, in addition to Scripture itself, was strongly influenced by Greek philosophy, namely Plato, Aristotle, Zeno.

The first theologians to develop the foundations of Christian doctrine were people from various parts of the empire, often with personal spiritual and philosophical experience behind them. And in their works, if there is a common basis, we can see certain accents that will later become sources of contradictions. Those in power will cling to these contradictions in the interests of 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 followed the principle of continuity of ordinations from the Apostle Peter . But harbingers of a future split were already clearly visible, at least in such a matter as proselytism. During the early Middle Ages, new peoples began to enter the orbit of Christianity, and here the circumstance from whom the people received Baptism played a much greater role than the fact of it. And this, in turn, had a strong impact on how the relationship between the Church and the new flock would develop, because the community of converts did not so much accept the doctrine as enter into the orbit of a stronger political structure.

The difference in the role of the Church in the east and west of the former Roman Empire was due to different fates these parts. The western part of the empire fell under the pressure of internal conflicts and barbarian raids, and the Church there actually shaped society. States were formed, fell apart, and were created again, 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 identity 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 - in contrast to the power vertical in Rome. Patriarch of Constantinople had the primacy of honor, but not legislative power (Constantinople was not shaken by the threat of excommunication as a stick to influence undesirable 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 West also followed different paths. Scholasticism became widespread in the West, which attempted to combine faith and logic, which ultimately led to the conflict between faith and reason during the Renaissance. In the East, these concepts were never mixed, which is well reflected by the Russian proverb “Trust in God, but don’t make a mistake yourself.” On the one hand, this gave greater freedom of thought, on the other hand, it did not provide the practice of scientific dispute.

Thus, political and theological contradictions led to the schism of 1054. How it happened 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 discussed 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 schism of 1054. Let's list them.

Views on the Holy Trinity

The 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 confesses 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 beginning (remember that original sin considered disobedience to 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 is no indication of this in Scripture, and the conclusions of Catholic theologians are based only on a hypothesis.

Views on the unity of the Church

The Orthodox understand unity as faith and sacraments, while Catholics recognize the Pope as God's vicar on earth. Orthodoxy considers each local church to be completely self-sufficient (for it is a model of the Universal Church), Catholicism places the recognition of the power of the Pope 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

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

Dogma of Purgatory

Present among Catholics. Purgatory is a place where the souls of those who died in unity with God, but who did not pay for their sins during life, are sent. It is believed that living people should pray for them. Orthodox Christians do not recognize the doctrine of purgatory, believing that the fate of a person’s soul is in the hands of God, but it is possible and necessary to pray for the dead. This dogma was finally approved only at the Council of Ferrara and Florence.

Differences in views on dogma

The Catholic Church has adopted the theory of dogmatic development created by Cardinal John Newman, according to which the Church must 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 clearly state the dogma of the doctrine and develop it. In the view of the Orthodox churches, the letter does not provide 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 your eye first. Oddly enough, but it was they, despite their lack of principles, that became the source of not only small conflicts, but also major upheavals. Typically it was the same 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 ritual was never something static - neither during the period of early Christianity, nor during the Great Schism, nor during the period of separate existence. Moreover: sometimes cardinal changes took place in the ritual, but they did not bring them any closer to the unity of the church. Rather, on the contrary, each innovation split off a part of the believers from one or another church.

To illustrate, we can take the church schism in Russia in the 17th century - but Nikon did not strive to split the Russian Church, but, on the contrary, to unite the Ecumenical Church (his ambition, of course, was off the charts).

It's also good to remember- when ordus novo (services in national languages) was introduced in the middle of the last century, some Catholics did not accept this, believing that the Mass should be celebrated according to the Tridentine rite. Currently, Catholics use the following types of rituals:

• ordus novo, standard service;
• the Tridentine rite, according to which the priest is obliged to lead the mass if the parish has a majority vote in favor;
• Greek Catholic and Armenian Catholic rites.

There are many myths surrounding the topic of ritual. 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 did they go? Protestants often did this).

Another misconception is the primacy of ritual over consciousness. This is partly explained by the fact that human consciousness has largely remained pagan: he confuses ritual and sacrament, and uses them as a kind of magic, in which, as is known, 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 their canonization, and holidays. The vestments of priests are also different, although the cut of the latter has common roots among both Orthodox and Catholics.

Also during Catholic worship the personality of the priest is of greater importance; he pronounces the formulas of the sacraments in the first person, and in Orthodox worship- from the third, since the sacrament is not performed by a priest (unlike a ritual), but by God. By the way, the number of sacraments for both Catholics and Orthodox is the same. The sacraments include:

• Baptism;
• Confirmation;
• Repentance;
• Eucharist;
• Wedding;
• Ordination;
• Blessing of 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 strongly influenced both the formation of civilizational models modern states, and on the attitude of representatives of these nations to life, its goals, morality and other aspects of their existence.

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

An ordinary church visitor rarely thinks about why he, for example, is a Catholic. For him, it is often a tribute to tradition, a formality, a habit. Often, belonging to a particular confession serves as an excuse for one’s irresponsibility or as a way to score political points.

Thus, representatives of the Sicilian mafia flaunted their affiliation with Catholicism, which did not prevent them from receiving income from drug trafficking and committing crimes. The Orthodox even have a saying about such hypocrisy: “either take off your cross or put on your panties.”

Among Orthodox Christians, such a model of behavior is often found, which is characterized by another proverb - “until the thunder strikes, a man will not cross himself.”

And yet, despite such differences in both dogma and ritual, we really have more in common than differences. And dialogue between us is necessary to maintain peace and mutual understanding. In the end, both Orthodoxy and Catholicism are branches of the same Christian faith. And not only hierarchs, but also ordinary believers should remember this.

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 dogma.

Various crosses

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 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 Catholic teaching about the super-due merits of the saints, according to which the great Catholic saints, the Doctors of the Church, left an inexhaustible treasury of “super-duty 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.

Papal infallibility

IN late XIX 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 Ascension Holy Virgin Maria. 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 Orthodox Church from the Catholic 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) Pope.

It is very important for a Christian believer to accurately represent the main tenets of his own faith. The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, which appeared during the period of church schism in the mid-11th century, developed over the years and centuries and created practically different branches of Christianity.

In short, what makes Orthodoxy different is that it is a more canonical teaching. It is not for nothing that the church is also called Eastern Orthodoxy. Here they try to adhere to the original traditions with high precision.

Let's consider the main milestones of history:

• Until the 11th century, Christianity developed as a single teaching (of course, the statement is largely conditional, since over the course of thousands of years various heresies and new schools appeared that deviated from the canon), which was actively progressing, spreading throughout the world, so-called Ecumenical Councils were held, designed to solve some dogmatic features teachings;
• The Great Schism, that is, the Church Schism of the 11th century, which separates the Western Roman Catholic Church from the Eastern Orthodox Church, in fact, the Patriarch of Constantinople (Eastern Church) and the Roman Pontiff Leo the Ninth quarreled, as a result they betrayed each other to mutual anathema, that is, excommunication churches;
• the separate path of the two churches: in the West, the institution of pontiffs flourishes in Catholicism and various additions are made to the doctrine; in the East, the original tradition is revered. Rus' actually becomes the successor of Byzantium, although the Greek Church remained the custodian of the Orthodox tradition to a greater extent;
• 1965 - formal lifting of mutual anathemas after a meeting in Jerusalem and signing of the corresponding declaration.

Throughout the almost thousand-year period, Catholicism has undergone great amount change. In turn, in Orthodoxy, minor innovations that concerned only the ritual side were not always accepted.

Main differences between traditions

Initially Catholic Church was formally closer to the basis of the teaching, since the Apostle Peter was the first pontiff in this church.

In fact, the tradition of transmitting the Catholic ordination of the apostles comes from Peter himself.

Although ordination (that is, ordination to the priesthood) exists in Orthodoxy, and every priest who becomes involved in the Holy Gifts in Orthodoxy also becomes the bearer of the original tradition coming from Christ himself and the apostles.

Note! In order to indicate each difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, a significant amount of time will be required, this material sets out the most basic details and provides an opportunity to develop a conceptual understanding of the differences in traditions.

After the schism, Catholics and Orthodox Christians gradually became bearers of very different views. We will try to consider the most significant differences that relate to dogma, the ritual aspect, and other aspects.

Perhaps the main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism is contained in the text of the “Creed” prayer, which should be recited regularly by the believer.

Such a prayer is like a super-condensed summary of the entire teaching, describing the main postulates. In Eastern Orthodoxy, the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father, and every Catholic, in turn, reads about the descent of the Holy Spirit from both the Father and the Son.

Before the schism, various decisions regarding dogma were made conciliarly, that is, by representatives of all regional churches at a general council. This tradition still remains in Orthodoxy, but what is significant is not this, but the dogma of the infallibility of the pontiff of the Roman Church.

This fact is one of the most significant differences between Orthodoxy and the Catholic tradition, since the figure of the patriarch does not have such powers and has a completely different function. The pontiff, in turn, is a vicar (that is, as it were, an official representative with all powers) of Christ on earth. Of course, the scriptures say nothing about this, and this dogma was accepted by the church itself much later than the crucifixion of Christ.

Even the first pontiff Peter, whom Jesus himself appointed “the rock on which to build the church,” was not endowed with such powers; he was an apostle, but nothing more.

However, the modern pontiff is to some extent no different from Christ himself (before His coming at the end of time) and can independently make any additions to the doctrine. This gives rise to differences in dogma that significantly lead away from original Christianity.

A typical example is the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, which we will discuss in more detail later. This is not indicated in the scriptures (even the exact opposite is indicated), but Catholics relatively recently (in the 19th century) accepted the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God, accepted by the current pontiff at that time, that is, this decision was infallible and dogmatically correct, in agreement with the will of Christ himself .

Quite rightly, it is the Orthodox and Catholic churches that deserve more attention and detailed consideration, since only these Christian traditions have the rite of ordination, which actually comes directly from Christ through the apostles, whom He provided with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The Apostles, in turn, passed on the Holy Gifts through the ordination of priests. Other movements, such as, for example, Protestants or Lutherans, do not have a rite of transmission of the Holy Gifts, that is, priests in these movements are outside the direct transmission of teachings and sacraments.

Traditions of icon painting

Only Orthodoxy is different from others Christian traditions veneration of icons. In fact, there is not only a cultural aspect to this, but also a religious one.

Catholics have icons, but do not have precise traditions of creating images that convey the events of the spiritual world and allow one to ascend into the spiritual world. To understand the difference between the perception of Christianity in the two directions, just look at the images in churches:

• in Orthodoxy and nowhere else (if Christianity is considered), the iconographic image is always created using a special technique of constructing perspective; in addition, deep and multifaceted religious symbolism is used; those present on the icon never express earthly emotions;
• if you look in a Catholic church, you can immediately see that these are mostly paintings written by simple artists, they convey beauty, can be symbolic, but focus on the earthly, are full of human emotions;
• characteristic is the difference in the depiction of the cross with the Savior, because Orthodoxy differs from other traditions in the depiction of Christ without naturalistic details, there is no emphasis on the body, He is an example of the triumph of the spirit over the body, and Catholics most often in the crucifixion focus on the suffering of Christ, carefully depicting the details the wounds that He had, they consider the feat precisely in suffering.

Note! There are distinct branches of Catholic mysticism that represent an in-depth focus on the suffering of Christ. The believer strives to fully identify himself with the Savior and fully feel his suffering. By the way, in this regard, there are also the phenomena of stigmata.

In short, the Orthodox Church shifts the emphasis to the spiritual side of things; even art is used here as part of a special technique that changes a person’s perception so that he can better enter into a prayerful mood and perception of the heavenly world.

Catholics, in turn, do not use art in this way; they can emphasize beauty (Madonna and Child) or suffering (Crucifixion), but these phenomena are conveyed purely as attributes of the earthly order. As the wise saying goes, to understand religion, you need to look at the images in temples.

Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary

In the modern Western church there is a unique cult of the Virgin Mary, which was formed purely historically and also largely due to the acceptance of the previously noted dogma of Her immaculate conception.

If we remember the scripture, then it clearly speaks of Joachim and Anna, who conceived in a completely vicious way, in a normal human way. Of course, this was also a miracle, since they were elderly people and the Archangel Gabriel appeared to each of them first, but the conception was human.

Therefore for Orthodox Mother of God does not initially represent a representative of the divine nature. Although she subsequently ascended in the body and was taken by Christ to Heaven. Catholics now consider Her to be something like a personification of the Lord. After all, if the conception was immaculate, that is, from the Holy Spirit, then the Virgin Mary, like Christ, combined both divine and human nature.

Good to know!