What is the difference between Catholics and Orthodox. Common features of Catholicism and Orthodoxy
For obvious reasons, I will answer the opposite - about the differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy in spiritual terms.
A large number of spiritual practices: these are prayers with a rosary (the Rosary, the chaplet of God's mercy and others), and the worship of the Holy Gifts (adoration), and reflections on the Gospel in a variety of traditions (from Ignatian to Lectio Divina), and spiritual exercises (from the simplest recollections to a month-long silence according to the method of St. Ignatius of Loyola) - I described almost all of them in detail here:
The absence of the institution of "elders", who are perceived among believers as enlightened and infallible lifetime saints. And there is a different attitude towards priests: there is no usual Orthodox “father blessed to buy a skirt, father did not bless to be friends with Petya” - Catholics make their own decisions, without shifting responsibility to a priest or nun.
Catholics, for the most part, know the course of the Liturgy better - both because they are participants, not spectators-listeners, and because they have undergone catechization (you cannot become a Catholic without studying the faith).
Catholics often take communion, and here, alas, it is not without abuse - either it becomes a habit and faith in the Eucharist is lost, or they take Communion without confession.
By the way, Eucharistic veneration is peculiar only to Catholics - the Orthodox have neither adoration nor procession to the celebration of the Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi). The holy place of veneration of the Eucharist is occupied by popular saints, as far as I understand.
With all this, Catholics are more inclined to simplify, increase "proximity to the people" and "correspond to the modern world" - more inclined to liken to Protestants. At the same time, forgetting the nature and purpose of the Church.
Catholics love to play ecumenism and rush about with it like a hand-written sack, not paying attention to the fact that these games are of no interest to anyone except themselves. A kind of non-aggressive, naive-romantic "mouse brothers".
For Catholics, the exclusivity of the Church, as a rule, remains only on paper, it does not hold in their heads, while the Orthodox remember perfectly well what they are more true.
Well, and the monastic traditions that have already been mentioned here - a huge number of various orders and congregations, from ultra-liberal Jesuits and entertaining Franciscans, slightly more moderate Dominicans to the invariably strict lifestyle of highly spiritual Benedictines and Carthusians; movements of the laity - from the unbridled Neocatechumenate and careless focalists to the moderate Communione e Liberazione and the restrained prelature of Opus Dei.
And more rituals - in the Catholic Church there are about 22 of them. Not only Latin (the most famous) and Byzantine (identical to Orthodox), but also exotic Syro-Malabar, Dominican and others; here are traditionalists committed to the pre-reform Latin rite (according to the Missal of 1962) and former Anglicans who became Catholics in the pontificate of Benedict XVI, who received a personal prelature and their own rite of worship. That is, Catholics are not so monotonous and not at all homogeneous, but at the same time they get along well together - both thanks to the fullness of the truth, and thanks to an understanding of the importance of the unity of the Church, and thanks to human factors. The Orthodox are split into 16 church communities (and these are only official ones!), their heads cannot even gather to resolve any issues - intrigues and attempts to pull the blanket over themselves are too strong ...
The split of the Christian Church into Western and Eastern took place in 1054. Different views on one religion forced each of the directions to go their own way. Differences manifested themselves not only in the interpretation of the Bible, but also in the arrangement of temples.
External differences
You can find out which direction the church belongs to even at a distance. An Orthodox church is distinguished by the presence of domes, the number of which carries one meaning or another. One dome is a symbol of the one Lord God. Five domes - Christ with four apostles. Thirty-three domes remind of the age at which the Savior was crucified on the cross.
Internal differences
There are also differences in the internal space of the Orthodox and Catholic churches. The Catholic building begins with a narthex, on both sides of which there are bell towers. Sometimes bell towers are not built or only one is built. Next comes the naos, or main nave. On either side of it are the side naves. Then you can see the transverse nave, which crosses the main and side. The main nave ends with an altar. It is followed by a de-ambulatory, which is a semicircular bypass gallery. Next is the crown of chapels.
Catholic churches may differ from each other in the organization of the internal space. In large churches, there are much more rooms. In addition, they use an organ that gives solemnity to the service. Small churches in small settlements are more modestly equipped. In a Catholic church, the walls are decorated with frescoes, not icons.
The part of the Orthodox church preceding the altar is tripled much simpler than in the Catholic Church. The main temple space serves as a place where parishioners pray. This part of the temple is most often a square or rectangle. In the Catholic Church, the space for praying parishioners always has the shape of an elongated rectangle. In an Orthodox church, unlike a Catholic one, benches are not used. Believers should pray standing up.
The altar part of the Orthodox church is separated from the rest of the space by solea. Here is the iconostasis. Icons can also be placed on the walls of the main temple space. The altar part is preceded by an ambo and royal gates. The veil, or catapetasma, follows the royal doors. Behind the veil is a throne, behind which are an altar, a sintron and a high place.
Architects and builders working on the construction of Orthodox and Catholic churches strive to create buildings in which a person would feel closer to God. The churches of both Western and Eastern Christians embody the unity of the earthly and the heavenly.
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Until 1054 the Christian Church was one and indivisible. The split occurred due to disagreements between Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch of Constantinople Michael Cirularius. The conflict began due to the last closing of several Latin churches in 1053. For this, the papal legates excommunicated Cirularius from the Church. In response, the patriarch anathematized the papal envoys. In 1965 mutual curses were lifted. However, the schism of the Churches has not yet been overcome. Christianity is divided into three main areas: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism.
Eastern Church
The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, since both of these religions are Christian, is not very significant. However, there are still some differences in doctrine, the performance of the sacraments, etc. About which ones, we'll talk a little later. First, let's make a small overview of the main directions of Christianity.
Orthodoxy, called in the West an orthodox religion, is currently practiced by about 200 million people. Approximately 5,000 people are baptized every day. This direction of Christianity was spread mainly in Russia, as well as in some countries of the CIS and Eastern Europe.
The Baptism of Russia took place at the end of the 9th century on the initiative of Prince Vladimir. The ruler of a huge pagan state expressed a desire to marry the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Basil II, Anna. But for this he had to accept Christianity. An alliance with Byzantium was essential to strengthen the authority of Russia. At the end of the summer of 988, a huge number of Kievans were christened in the waters of the Dnieper.
Catholic Church
As a result of the split in 1054, a separate confession arose in Western Europe. Representatives of the Eastern Church called her "Catholicos". In Greek it means "universal". The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism lies not only in the approach of these two Churches to some of the dogmas of Christianity, but also in the very history of development. The Western confession, compared to the Eastern one, is considered much more rigid and fanatical.
One of the most important milestones in the history of Catholicism was, for example, the Crusades, which brought much grief to the common population. The first of these was organized at the call of Pope Urban II in 1095. The last - the eighth - ended in 1270. The official goal of all crusades was the liberation of the "holy land" of Palestine and the "Holy Sepulcher" from the infidels. The actual one is the conquest of lands that belonged to Muslims.
In 1229, Pope George IX issued a decree establishing the Inquisition - an ecclesiastical court for cases of apostates from the faith. Torture and burning at the stake - this is how extreme Catholic fanaticism was expressed in the Middle Ages. In total, during the existence of the Inquisition, more than 500 thousand people were tortured.
Of course, the difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy (this will be briefly discussed in the article) is a very large and deep topic. However, with regard to the attitude of the Church towards the population, in general terms, its traditions and basic concept can be understood. The Western denomination has always been considered more dynamic, but at the same time aggressive, in contrast to the "calm" orthodox one.
Currently, Catholicism is the state religion in most European and Latin American countries. More than half of all (1.2 billion people) modern Christians profess this particular religion.
Protestantism
The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism also lies in the fact that the former has remained united and indivisible for almost a millennium. In the Catholic Church in the XIV century. a split occurred. This was connected with the Reformation - a revolutionary movement that arose at that time in Europe. In 1526, at the request of the German Lutherans, the Swiss Reichstag issued a decree on the right of free choice of religion by citizens. In 1529, however, it was abolished. As a result, a protest followed from a number of cities and princes. This is where the word “Protestantism” comes from. This Christian direction is subdivided into two more branches: early and late.
At the moment, Protestantism is spread mostly in the Scandinavian countries: Canada, USA, England, Switzerland, the Netherlands. In 1948 the World Council of Churches was created. The total number of Protestants is about 470 million people. There are several denominations of this Christian direction: Baptists, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Calvinists.
In our time, the World Council of Protestant Churches is pursuing an active peacemaking policy. Representatives of this religion advocate detente of international tension, support the efforts of states in defense of peace, etc.
The difference between Orthodoxy from Catholicism and Protestantism
Of course, during the centuries of schism, significant differences arose in the traditions of the churches. The basic principle of Christianity - the acceptance of Jesus as the Savior and the Son of God - they did not touch. However, in relation to certain events of the New and Old Testaments, there are often even mutually exclusive differences. In some cases, the methods of conducting various kinds of rites and sacraments do not converge.
Orthodoxy | Catholicism | Protestantism |
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Control | Patriarch, Cathedral | World Council of Churches, Councils of Bishops |
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Organization | Bishops do not depend much on the Patriarch, they are mainly subordinate to the Council | There is a rigid hierarchy with subordination to the Pope, hence the name "Universal Church" | There are many denominations that have created the World Council of Churches. Holy Scripture is placed above the authority of the Pope |
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Holy Spirit | It is believed that it comes only from the Father | There is a dogma that the Holy Spirit proceeds both from the Father and from the Son. This is the main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism. |
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The statement is accepted that man himself is responsible for his sins, and God the Father is a completely impassive and abstract being. | It is believed that God suffers because of human sins. |
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Dogma of Salvation | By crucifixion, all the sins of mankind were atoned for. Only the original remains. That is, when committing a new sin, a person again becomes the object of God's wrath. | The man was, as it were, “ransomed” by Christ through the crucifixion. As a result, God the Father changed his anger to mercy regarding original sin. That is, a person is holy by the holiness of Christ himself. |
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Sometimes allowed | Forbidden | Allowed but frowned upon |
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Immaculate Conception of the Virgin | It is believed that the Mother of God is not spared from original sin, but her holiness is recognized | The complete sinlessness of the Virgin Mary is preached. Catholics believe that she was conceived immaculately, like Christ himself. With regard to the original sin of the Mother of God, therefore, there are also quite significant differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. | |||
Taking the Virgin to Heaven | It is unofficially believed that this event may have taken place, but it is not enshrined in dogmas. | The taking of the Mother of God to heaven in a physical body is a dogma | The cult of the Virgin Mary is denied |
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Only liturgy is held | Both a mass and a Byzantine-like Orthodox liturgy can be held | The Mass was rejected. Divine services are held in modest churches or even in stadiums, concert halls, etc. Only two rites are practiced: baptism and communion |
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Marriage of clergy | Allowed | Only allowed in the Byzantine Rite | Allowed |
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Ecumenical Councils | Based on the decisions of the first seven | Guided by decisions 21 (last passed in 1962-1965) | Recognize the decisions of all Ecumenical Councils, if they do not contradict each other and Holy Scripture |
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Eight-pointed with crossbeams at the bottom and at the top | A simple four-pointed Latin cross is used | Not used in worship. Worn by representatives of not all faiths |
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Used in large quantities and are equated with the Holy Scriptures. Created in strict accordance with church canons | They are considered only decoration of the temple. They are ordinary paintings on a religious theme. | Not used |
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Old Testament | Recognized as Hebrew and Greek | Greek only | Only Jewish canonical |
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Absolution | The ceremony is performed by a priest | Not allowed |
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Science and religion | Based on scientists' assertion, dogmas never change. | Dogmas can be adjusted in accordance with the point of view of official science | |||
Christian cross: differences
Disagreements regarding the descent of the Holy Spirit are the main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The table also shows many other, albeit not too significant, but still discrepancies. They arose long ago, and, apparently, none of the churches expresses a special desire to resolve these contradictions.
There are differences in the attributes of different areas of Christianity. For example, the Catholic cross has a simple quadrangular shape. The Orthodox have eight-pointed. The orthodox Eastern Church believes that this type of crucifix most accurately conveys the shape of the cross described in the New Testament. In addition to the main horizontal bar, it contains two more. The upper one personifies a tablet nailed to the cross and containing the inscription "Jesus of Nazarene, King of the Jews." The lower slanting crossbar - a prop for the feet of Christ - symbolizes the "righteous measure".
Table of differences of crosses
The image of the Savior on the crucifix used in the Sacraments is also something that can be attributed to the topic "the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism." The western cross is a little different from the eastern one.
As you can see, in relation to the cross there is also a quite noticeable difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The table shows this clearly.
As for the Protestants, they consider the cross to be a symbol of the Pope, and therefore they practically do not use it.
Icons in different Christian directions
So, the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism (the table of comparisons of crosses confirms this) in relation to paraphernalia is quite noticeable. There are even greater discrepancies in these directions in icons. The rules for depicting Christ, the Mother of God, saints, etc. may differ.
Below are the main differences.
The main difference between an Orthodox icon and a Catholic one is that it is written in strict accordance with the canons established back in Byzantium. Western images of saints, Christ, etc., strictly speaking, have nothing to do with the icon. Usually such paintings have a very broad plot and are painted by ordinary, non-church artists.
Protestants consider icons to be a pagan attribute and do not use them at all.
Monasticism
With regard to leaving worldly life and devoting oneself to the service of God, there is also a significant difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism. The comparison table above shows only the main differences. But there are other differences, also quite noticeable.
For example, in our country, each monastery is practically autonomous and is subordinate only to its own bishop. Catholics have a different organization in this regard. Monasteries are united in the so-called Orders, each of which has its own head and its charter. These associations may be scattered throughout the world, but nevertheless they always have a common leadership.
Protestants, unlike Orthodox and Catholics, reject monasticism altogether. One of the inspirers of this teaching - Luther - even married a nun.
Church Sacraments
There is a difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism in relation to the rules for conducting various kinds of rituals. In both of these Churches, 7 sacraments are accepted. The difference is primarily in the meaning attached to the main Christian rites. Catholics believe that the sacraments are valid whether a person is in tune with them or not. According to the Orthodox Church, baptism, chrismation, etc., will be effective only for believers who are completely disposed towards them. Orthodox priests even often compare Catholic rites with some kind of pagan magical ritual that operates regardless of whether a person believes in God or not.
The Protestant Church practices only two sacraments: baptism and communion. Everything else is considered superficial and rejected by representatives of this trend.
Baptism
This main Christian sacrament is recognized by all churches: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism. Differences are only in the ways of performing the ceremony.
In Catholicism, it is customary for babies to be sprinkled or doused. According to the dogmas of the Orthodox Church, children are completely immersed in water. Recently, there has been some deviation from this rule. However, now the ROC is again returning in this rite to the ancient traditions established by the Byzantine priests.
The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism (the crosses worn on the body, like large ones, may contain the image of an “orthodox” or “Western” Christ) in relation to the performance of this sacrament, therefore, is not very significant, but it still exists.
Protestants usually perform the rite of baptism also with water. But in some denominations it is not used. The main difference between Protestant baptism and Orthodox and Catholic baptism is that it is performed exclusively for adults.
Differences in the sacrament of the Eucharist
We have considered the main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. This is an attitude to the descent of the Holy Spirit and to the virginity of the birth of the Virgin Mary. Such significant divergences have emerged over the centuries of schism. Of course, they are also present in the celebration of one of the main Christian sacraments - the Eucharist. Catholic priests take communion only with bread, and unleavened. This church product is called wafers. In Orthodoxy, the sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated with wine and ordinary yeast bread.
In Protestantism, not only members of the Church, but also anyone who wishes is allowed to receive communion. Representatives of this branch of Christianity celebrate the Eucharist in the same way as the Orthodox - with wine and bread.
Contemporary Church Relations
The split of Christianity occurred almost a thousand years ago. And during this time, the churches of different directions failed to agree on unification. Disagreements regarding the interpretation of Holy Scripture, paraphernalia and rituals, as you see, have survived to this day and have even intensified over the centuries.
Relations between the two main confessions, Orthodox and Catholic, are also rather ambiguous in our time. Until the middle of the last century, serious tensions remained between these two churches. The key concept in the relationship was the word "heresy".
Recently, this situation has changed a little. If earlier the Catholic Church considered Orthodox Christians almost a bunch of heretics and schismatics, then after the Second Vatican Council it recognized the orthodox Sacraments as valid.
Orthodox priests did not officially establish such an attitude towards Catholicism. But the completely loyal acceptance of Western Christianity has always been traditional for our church. However, of course, some tension between Christian denominations still persists. For example, our Russian theologian A. I. Osipov does not have a very good attitude towards Catholicism.
In his opinion, there is a more than noteworthy and serious difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Osipov considers many saints of the Western Church almost crazy. He also warns the Russian Orthodox Church that, for example, cooperation with the Catholics threatens the Orthodox with complete submission. However, he repeatedly mentioned that among Western Christians there are wonderful people.
Thus, the main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism is the attitude towards the Trinity. The Eastern Church believes that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father. Western - both from the Father and from the Son. There are other differences between these denominations. However, in any case, both churches are Christian and accept Jesus as the Savior of mankind, whose coming, and therefore Eternal life for the righteous, is inevitable.
In 1054, one of the most important events in the history of the Middle Ages took place - the Great Schism, or schism. And despite the fact that mutual anathemas were lifted by the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Holy See back in the middle of the 20th century, the world did not unite, and the reason for this was both dogmatic differences between both confessions and political contradictions closely connected with the Church throughout its existence.
This state of affairs persists even though most of the states where the population professes Christianity, and where it has taken root in antiquity, are secular and have a large proportion of atheists. The Church and its role in history became part of the national self-identification of many peoples, despite the fact that representatives of these peoples often did not even read the Scriptures.
Sources of conflict
A single Christian church (hereinafter referred to as the EC) arose in the Roman Empire in the first centuries of our era. It was not something monolithic in the early period of its existence. The sermons of the apostles and then the apostolic men lay down on the consciousness of the man of the ancient Mediterranean, but it differed significantly from that of the people of the East. The unified dogma of the EC was finally developed during the period of the Apologists, and in addition to the Scripture itself, its formation was strongly influenced by Greek philosophy, namely: Plato, Aristotle, Zeno.
The first theologians who worked out the foundations of the Christian faith were people from various parts of the empire, often with personal spiritual and philosophical experience behind them. And in their works, in the presence of a common basis, we can see some accents, which in the future will become sources of controversy. Those in power will cling to these contradictions in the interests of the state, caring little about the spiritual side of the issue.
The unity of common Christian dogma was supported by the Ecumenical Councils, the formation of the clergy as a separate class of society proceeded according to the principle of continuity of ordinations from the Apostle Peter . But the harbingers of a future split were already clearly visible at least in such a case as proselytism. In the period of the early Middle Ages, new peoples began to enter the orbit of Christianity, and here the circumstance from whom the people receive Baptism played a much greater role than the very fact of it. And this, in turn, had a strong impact on how relations between the Church and the new flock would develop, because the community of new converts did not so much accept the dogma as entered the orbit of a stronger political structure.
The difference in the role of the Church in the east and in the west of the former Roman Empire was due to the different fate of these parts. The western part of the empire fell under the pressure of internal conflicts and barbarian raids, and the Church there actually formed a society. States were formed, disintegrated, re-created, but the Roman center of gravity existed. In fact, the Church in the West rose above the state, which determined its further role in European politics until the era of the Reformation.
The Byzantine Empire, on the contrary, had its roots in the pre-Christian era, and Christianity became part of the culture and self-consciousness of the population of this territory, but did not replace this culture entirely. The organization of the Eastern churches followed a different principle—locality. The Church was organized as if from below, it was a community of believers as opposed to the power vertical in Rome. The Patriarch of Constantinople had the primacy of honor, but not legislative power (Constantinople did not shake the threat of excommunication as a stick to influence objectionable monarchs). The relationship with the latter was realized according to the principle of a symphony.
The further development of Christian theology in the East and in the West also followed different paths. Scholasticism spread in the West, trying to combine faith and logic, which ultimately led to a conflict between faith and reason in the Renaissance. In the East, these concepts have never been mixed up, which is well reflected in the Russian proverb "Trust in God, but don't make a mistake yourself." On the one hand, this gave great freedom of thought, on the other hand, it did not give the practice of scientific dispute.
Thus, political and theological contradictions led to the schism of 1054. How it went is a big topic worthy of a separate presentation. And now we will tell you how modern Orthodoxy and Catholicism differ from each other. The differences will be considered in the following order:
- dogmatic;
- Ritual;
- Mental.
Fundamental dogmatic differences
Usually little is said about them, which is not surprising: a simple believer, as a rule, does not care about this. But there are such differences., and some of them became the reason for the split in 1054. Let's list them.
Views on the Holy Trinity
A stumbling block between Orthodox and Catholics. The notorious filioque.
The Catholic Church believes that Divine grace comes not only from the Father, but also from the Son. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, professes the procession of the Holy Spirit only from the Father and the existence of Three Persons in a single Divine essence.
Views on the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary
Catholics believe that the Mother of God is the fruit of the Immaculate Conception, that is, she was free from original sin from the very beginning (recall that by original sin considered disobedience to the will God, and we still feel the consequences of Adam's disobedience to this will (Gen. 3:19)).
The Orthodox do not recognize this dogma, since there are no indications of such a thing in Scripture, and the conclusions of Catholic theologians are based only on a hypothesis.
Views on the unity of the Church
Orthodox understand faith and sacraments as unity, while Catholics recognize the Pope as the vicar of God on earth. Orthodoxy considers each local church to be completely self-sufficient (for it is a model of the Universal Church), Catholicism puts the recognition of the Pope's authority over it and all aspects of human life at the forefront. The Pope is infallible in the views of Catholics.
Resolutions of the Ecumenical Councils
Orthodox recognize 7 Ecumenical Councils, and Catholics - 21, the last of which took place in the middle of the last century.
Dogma of Purgatory
Available for Catholics. Purgatory is a place where the souls of the dead go in unity with God, but did not pay for their sins during life. It is believed that living people should pray for them. Orthodox do not recognize the doctrine of purgatory, believing that the fate of the human soul is in the hands of God, but it is possible and necessary to pray for the dead. Finally, this dogma was approved only at the Ferrara-Florence Cathedral.
Differences in views on dogmas
The Catholic Church adopted the theory of dogmatic development created by Cardinal John Newman, according to which the Church should clearly formulate its dogmas in words. The need for this arose to counter the influence of Protestant denominations. This problem is quite relevant and broad: Protestants honor the letter of Scripture, and often to the detriment of its spirit. Catholic theologians set themselves a difficult task: to formulate dogmas based on Scripture in such a way as to eliminate these contradictions.
Orthodox hierarchs and theologians do not consider it necessary to somehow clearly state the dogmatics of the doctrine and develop it. In the view of Orthodox churches, the letter does not give a complete understanding of faith and even limits this understanding. Church Tradition is complete enough for a Christian, and every believer can have his own spiritual path.
External differences
This is what catches the eye in the first place. Oddly enough, but it was they, despite their non-principled nature, that became the source of not only small conflicts, but also big upheavals. Typically it was for the Orthodox and Catholic churches, differences within which, at least regarding the views of the hierarchs, provoked the emergence of heresies and new schisms.
The rite was never something static - neither in the period of early Christianity, nor during the Great Schism, nor in the period of separate existence. Moreover: sometimes cardinal changes took place in the rite, but they did not bring them closer to the unity of the church. Rather, on the contrary, each innovation broke away from one or another church of the believers.
For illustration, we can take the church schism in Russia in the 17th century - and after all, Nikon did not seek to split the Russian church, but, on the contrary, to unite the Ecumenical (his ambition, of course, went off scale).
It's also good to remember- with the introduction of ordus novo (services in national languages) in the middle of the last century, part of the Catholics did not accept this, believing that the mass should be served according to the Tridentine rite. Currently, Catholics use the following types of rites:
- ordus novo, standard service;
- the Rite of Trent, according to which the priest is obliged to conduct Mass if the parish is by a majority vote in favor;
- Greek Catholic and Armenian Catholic rites.
There are many myths around the theme of ritualism. One of them is the dictate of the Latin language among Catholics, and no one understands this language. Although the Latin rite was replaced by the national one relatively recently, many do not take into account, for example, the fact that the Uniate churches, subordinate to the Pope, retained their rite. Also, they do not take into account the fact that Catholics also began to publish national Bibles (Where was it to go? Protestants often took this).
Another misconception is the primacy of ritual over consciousness. This is partly due to the fact that the consciousness of a person has largely remained pagan: he confuses the rite and the sacrament, and uses them as a kind of magic, in which, as you know, following the instructions plays a decisive role.
In order for you to better see the ritual differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism - a table to help you:
| category | subcategory | orthodoxy | Catholicism |
| sacraments | baptism | full immersion | sprinkling |
| chrismation | immediately after baptism | confirmation in adolescence | |
| communion | at any time, from the age of 7 - after confession | after 7-8 years | |
| confession | at the lectern | in a dedicated room | |
| wedding | allowed three times | marriage is indissoluble | |
| Temple | orientation | altar to the east | the rule is not respected |
| altar | fenced with an iconostasis | not fenced, maximum - altar barrier | |
| benches | absent, pray standing with bows | are present, although in the old days there were small benches for kneeling | |
| liturgy | Scheduled | can be ordered | |
| musical accompaniment | choir only | may be an organ | |
| cross | difference between orthodox and catholic crosses | sketchy | naturalistic |
| the Omen | triplets, top to bottom, right to left | open hand, top to bottom, left to right | |
| clergy | hierarchy | there are cardinals | |
| monasteries | each with its own charter | organized into monastic orders | |
| celibacy | for monks and officials | for all above deacon | |
| posts | eucharistic | 6 o'clock | 1 hour |
| weekly | Wednesday and Friday | Friday | |
| calendar | strict | less strict | |
| calendar | Saturday | complements sunday | Sunday replaced Saturday |
| calculus | Julian, New Julian | Gregorian | |
| easter | Alexandrian | Gregorian |
In addition, there are differences in the veneration of saints, the order of canonization of such, holidays. The vestments of the priests are also different, although the cut of the latter has common roots among both Orthodox and Catholics.
Also in Catholic worship more important is the personality of the priest; he pronounces the formulas of the sacraments in the first person, and in Orthodox worship in the third person, since the sacrament is performed not by the priest (as opposed to the rite), but by God. By the way, the number of sacraments is the same for both Catholics and Orthodox. The sacraments are:
- Baptism;
- Chrismation;
- Repentance;
- Eucharist;
- Wedding;
- Ordination to the dignity;
- Unction.
Catholics and Orthodox: what is the difference
If we talk about the Church, not as an organization, but as a community of believers, then there is still a difference in mentality. Moreover, both the Catholic and Orthodox churches have strongly influenced both the formation of civilizational models of modern states, and the attitude of representatives of these nations to life, its goals, morality and other aspects of their being.
Moreover, this is also affecting now, when the number of people who do not belong to any confessions is growing in the world, and the Church itself is losing its position in regulating various aspects of human life.
The average visitor to the temple rarely thinks about why he, for example, is a Catholic. For him, this is often a tribute to tradition, a formality, a habit. Often belonging to one or another confession serves as an excuse for one's irresponsibility or as a way to score political points.
So, representatives of the Sicilian mafia flaunted their belonging to Catholicism, which did not prevent them from receiving income from the drug trade and committing crimes. The Orthodox even have a saying for such hypocrisy: “Either take off your cross, or put on your underpants.”
Among the Orthodox, there is often such a model of behavior, which is characterized by another proverb - "until the thunder breaks out, the peasant will not cross himself."
And yet, despite such differences both in dogmas and in ritual, there are indeed more common things between us than differences. And dialogue between us is necessary to preserve peace and mutual understanding. After all, both Orthodoxy and Catholicism are branches of the same Christian faith. And it is worth remembering this not only for hierarchs, but also for ordinary believers.
Officially, the division of the Christian Church into Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Roman Catholic) happened in 1054, with the participation of Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael Cerularius. It became the finale in the contradictions long overdue between the two religious centers of the Roman Empire, which had collapsed by the 5th century - Rome and Constantinople.
There were serious disagreements between them both in the field of dogma and in terms of the organization of church life.
After the transfer of the capital from Rome to Constantinople in 330, the clergy began to come to the fore in the socio-political life of Rome. In 395, when the empire actually collapsed, Rome became the official capital of its western part. But political instability soon led to the fact that the actual administration of these territories was in the hands of the bishops and the pope.
In many ways, this was the reason for the claims of the papal throne to the primacy of the entire Christian Church. These claims were rejected by the East, although from the first centuries of Christianity, the authority of the Roman pope in the West and in the East was very great: without his approval, not a single ecumenical council could open and close.
Cultural background
Church historians note that in the western and eastern regions of the empire, Christianity developed differently, under the powerful influence of two cultural traditions - Hellenic and Roman. The "Hellenic world" perceived the Christian doctrine as a certain philosophy, opening the way for the unity of man with God.
This explains the abundance of theological works of the Fathers of the Eastern Church, aimed at comprehending this unity, achieving "deification". They often show the influence of Greek philosophy. Such "theological curiosity" sometimes led to heretical deviations, which were rejected by the Councils.
The world of Roman Christianity, in the words of the historian Bolotov, experienced "the influence of the Romanesque on the Christian." The "Roman world" perceived Christianity in a more "juridical-legal" manner, methodically building the Church as a kind of social and legal institution. Professor Bolotov writes that Roman theologians "understood Christianity as a God-revealed program of social organization."
Roman theology was characterized by "jurisprudence", including the relation of God to man. It was expressed in the fact that good deeds were understood here as a person's merits before God, and repentance was not enough to forgive sins.
Later, the concept of redemption was formed, following the example of Roman law, which based the relationship between God and man on the categories of guilt, redemption and merit. These nuances gave rise to differences in dogmatics. But, in addition to these differences, the banal struggle for power and the personal claims of the hierarchs on both sides eventually became the cause of division.
Main differences
Today, Catholicism has many ritual and dogmatic differences from Orthodoxy, but we will consider the most important ones.
The first difference consists in a different understanding of the principle of the unity of the Church. In the Orthodox Church there is no single earthly head (Christ is considered its head). It has "primates" - patriarchs of local, independent from each other Churches - Russian, Greek, etc.
The Catholic Church (from the Greek "katholikos" - "universal") is one, and considers the presence of a visible head, which is the Pope, to be the basis of its unity. This dogma is called "primacy (primacy) of the Pope". The opinion of the Pope on matters of faith is recognized by Catholics as "infallible" - that is, infallible.
Symbol of faith
Also, the Catholic Church added to the text of the Creed, adopted at the Nicene Ecumenical Council, the phrase about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son (“filioque”). The Orthodox Church recognizes the procession only from the Father. Although individual holy fathers of the East recognized the "filioque" (for example, Maximus the Confessor).
Life after death
In addition, Catholicism has adopted the dogma of purgatory: a temporary state in which souls remain after death, not ready for paradise.
the Virgin Mary
An important discrepancy is also that in the Catholic Church there is a dogma about the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, which affirms the original absence of original sin in the Mother of God. Orthodox, glorifying the holiness of the Mother of God, believe that he was inherent in Her, like all people. Also, this Catholic dogma is in conflict with the fact that Christ was half a man.
Indulgence
In the Middle Ages, in Catholicism, the doctrine of the “super-due merits of the saints” took shape: the “stock of good deeds” that the saints performed. The Church manages this "reserve" in order to make up for the lack of "good deeds" of repentant sinners.
From here grew the doctrine of indulgences - liberation from temporal punishment for sins in which a person repented. In the Renaissance, there was a misunderstanding of indulgence as the possibility of remission of sins for money and without confession.
Celibacy
Catholicism forbids marriage of clergy (celibate priesthood). In the Orthodox Church, marriage is prohibited only for monastic priests and hierarchs.
outer part
As for the rites, Catholicism recognizes both the worship of the Latin rite (Mass) and the Byzantine (Greek Catholics).
Liturgy in the Orthodox Church is served on prosphora (leavened bread), Catholic worship - on unleavened bread (unleavened bread).
Catholics practice Communion under two types: only the Body of Christ (for the laity), and the Body and Blood (for the clergy).
Catholics make the sign of the cross from left to right, Orthodox - vice versa.
There are fewer fasts in Catholicism, and they are softer than in Orthodoxy.
An organ is used in Catholic worship.
Despite these and other differences that have accumulated over the centuries, Orthodox and Catholics have a lot in common. Moreover, something was borrowed by Catholics from the East (for example, the doctrine of the ascension of the Virgin).
Almost all local Orthodox churches (except Russian) live, like Catholics, according to the Gregorian calendar. Both denominations recognize each other's Sacraments.
The division of the Church is a historical and unresolved tragedy of Christianity. After all, Christ prayed for the unity of His disciples, who are all who strive to fulfill His commandments and confess Him to be the Son of God: “May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so may they be one in Us - May the world believe that You have sent Me."