The main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. How is the Catholic Church different from the Orthodox? The main difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy

Both in Orthodoxy and in Catholicism, the Holy Scripture - the Bible - is recognized as the basis of the doctrine. In the Creed of Catholicism and Orthodoxy, the foundations of the doctrine are formulated in 12 parts or members:

The first term speaks of God as the creator of the world - the first hypostasis of the Holy Trinity;

In the second - about faith in the Son of God Jesus Christ;

The third is the dogma of the incarnation of God, according to which Jesus Christ, while remaining God, at the same time became a man, having been born of the Virgin Mary;

The fourth is about the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, this is the doctrine of atonement;

Fifth - about the resurrection of Jesus Christ;

The sixth speaks of the bodily ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven;

In the seventh - about the second, coming coming of Jesus Christ to earth;

The eighth term is about faith in the Holy Spirit;

Ninth - about the attitude towards the church;

The tenth is about the sacrament of Baptism;

Eleventh - about the future general resurrection of the dead;

The twelfth is about eternal life.

An important place in Orthodoxy and Catholicism is occupied by rituals - sacraments. Seven sacraments are recognized: Baptism, chrismation, communion, repentance or confession, the sacrament of the priesthood, wedding, blessing of unification (unification).

The Orthodox and Catholic Churches attach great importance to holidays and fasts. Fasting is usually preceded by large church holidays... The essence of fasting is “the purification and renewal of the human soul,” preparation for an important event in the religious life. There are four large multi-day fasts in Orthodoxy and Catholicism: before Easter, before the day of Peter and Paul, before the Dormition of the Theotokos and before the Nativity of Christ.

Differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism

The beginning of the division of the Christian Church into Catholic and Orthodox was laid by the rivalry between the popes and the Patriarchs of Constantinople for supremacy in the Christian world. About 867 there was a break between Pope Nicholas I and Patriarch Photius of Constantinople. Catholicism and Orthodoxy are often referred to as the Western and Eastern Churches, respectively.

The basis of the Catholic doctrine, like all Christianity, is the Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. However, and unlike the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church considers as sacred tradition the decrees of not only the first seven Ecumenical Councils, but also all subsequent councils, and in addition - papal letters and decrees.

The organization of the Catholic Church is highly centralized. The Pope is the head of this church. He defines doctrines on matters of faith and morality. His authority is higher than the authority of the Ecumenical Councils. The centralization of the Catholic Church gave rise to the principle of dogmatic development, expressed, in particular, in the right of non-traditional interpretation of the doctrine. So, in the Creed, recognized by the Orthodox Church, in the doctrine of the Trinity it is said that the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father. Catholic dogma declares that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.

A peculiar teaching about the role of the church in the work of salvation was also formed. It is believed that the basis of salvation is faith and good works. The Church, according to the teachings of Catholicism (this is not the case in Orthodoxy), has a treasury of "super-due" deeds - a "stock" of good deeds created by Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, saints, pious Christians. The Church has the right to dispose of this treasury, to give part of it to those who need it, that is, to forgive sins, to grant forgiveness to those who repent. Hence the doctrine of indulgences - about the remission of sins for money or for any services to the church. Hence - the rules for praying for the dead and the right to shorten the period of the soul's stay in purgatory.

Ecumenical Orthodoxy is a collection of local Churches that have the same dogmas and a similar canonical structure, recognize the sacraments of each other and are in communion. Orthodoxy consists of 15 autocephalous and several autonomous churches. Unlike Orthodox churches, Roman Catholicism is distinguished primarily by its monolithic character. The principle of organization of this church is more monarchical: it has a visible center of its unity - the Pope. In the image of the Pope, the apostolic authority and the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church are concentrated.

Orthodoxy refers to the Holy Scriptures, writings and deeds of the church fathers as a sacred word that came from the Lord and transmitted to people. Orthodoxy claims that the God-given texts cannot be changed or supplemented and must be read in the language in which they were first given to people. Thus, Orthodoxy seeks to preserve the spirit of the Christian faith as Christ brought it, the spirit in which lived the apostles, the first Christians and the fathers of the Church. Therefore, Orthodoxy appeals not so much to logic as to the conscience of man. In Orthodoxy, a system of cult actions is closely connected with dogmatic doctrine. The foundations of these cultic actions are seven main rites-sacraments: baptism, communion, repentance, chrismation, marriage, blessing of oil, priesthood. In addition to performing the sacraments, the Orthodox cult system includes prayers, worship of the cross, icons, relics, relics and saints.

Catholicism views Christian tradition rather as "seeds" that Christ, the apostles, etc. planted in the souls and minds of people so that they could find their ways to God.

The Pope is elected by the cardinals, that is, the highest layer of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church, which follows immediately after the Pope. The Pope is elected by a two-thirds majority of the cardinals. The Pope runs the Roman Catholic Church through a central government apparatus called the Roman Curia. It is a kind of government that has divisions called congregations. They exercise leadership in certain areas of church life. In a secular government, this would correspond to ministries.

Mass (liturgy) is the main worship service in the Catholic Church, which until recently was held in Latin. To increase the influence on the masses, it is now permissible to use national languages ​​and introduce national melodies into the liturgy.

The Pope leads the Catholic Church as an absolute monarch, while congregations are only deliberative and administrative bodies with him.

This year, the entire Christian world simultaneously celebrates the main holiday of the Church - the Resurrection of Christ. This again reminds of the common root from which the main Christian denominations originate, of the once existing unity of all Christians. However, for almost a thousand years this unity has been broken between Eastern and Western Christianity. If many are familiar with the date 1054 as the year officially recognized by historians as the year of the separation of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, then perhaps not everyone knows that it was preceded by a long process of gradual divergence.

In this publication, the reader is offered an abridged version of the article by Archimandrite Plakis (Deseus) "The History of a Schism". This is a brief exploration of the causes and history of the divide between Western and Eastern Christianity. Without considering in detail the dogmatic subtleties, dwelling only on the sources of theological disagreements in the teachings of Blessed Augustine of Ipponis, Father Placidas gives a historical and cultural review of the events that preceded and followed the mentioned date of 1054. He shows that the division did not happen overnight or suddenly, but was the result of "a long historical process influenced by both doctrinal differences and political and cultural factors."

The main work on the translation from the French original was carried out by students of the Sretensky Theological Seminary under the guidance of T.A. Shutovoy. Editing and preparation of the text was carried out by V.G. Massalitina. Full text articles published on the website "Orthodox France. A View from Russia ”.

Harbingers of schism

The teaching of the bishops and church writers, whose works were written in Latin, - Hilarias of Pictavia (315-367), Ambrose of Mediolan (340-397), the Monk John Cassian the Roman (360-435) and many others - were completely in tune with the teachings Greek holy fathers: St. Basil the Great (329-379), Gregory the Theologian (330-390), John Chrysostom (344-407) and others. Western Fathers sometimes differed from Eastern Fathers only in that they emphasized more on the moral component than on deep theological analysis.

The first attempt at this doctrinal harmony occurred with the emergence of the teachings of Blessed Augustine, Bishop of Ipponia (354-430). Here we meet one of the most exciting mysteries of Christian history. In Blessed Augustine, who was in the highest degree inherent in the feeling of the unity of the Church and love for him, there was nothing of the heresiarch. And nevertheless, in many directions, Augustine opened new paths for Christian thought, which left a deep imprint in the history of the West, but at the same time turned out to be almost completely alien to the non-Latin Churches.

On the one hand, Augustine, the most "philosophizing" of the Church Fathers, is inclined to exalt the abilities of the human mind in the field of knowledge of God. He developed the theological doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which formed the basis of the Latin doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father. and Son(in Latin - Filioque). According to an older tradition, the Holy Spirit takes its origin, just like the Son, only from the Father. The Eastern Fathers always adhered to this formula contained in Holy Scripture Of the New Testament (see: John 15:26), and seen in Filioque distortion of the apostolic faith. They noted that as a result of this teaching in the Western Church there was a certain belittling of the Hypostasis and the role of the Holy Spirit, which, in their opinion, led to a certain strengthening of the institutional and legal aspects in the life of the Church. From the 5th century Filioque it was universally accepted in the West, practically without the knowledge of the non-Latin Churches, but it was added to the Creed later.

In regard to the inner life, Augustine emphasized human weakness and omnipotence so much Divine grace that it turned out as if he diminished human freedom in the face of divine predestination.

The brilliant and eminently attractive personality of Augustine, during his lifetime, aroused admiration in the West, where he was soon considered the greatest of the Church Fathers and was almost completely focused only on his school. To a large extent, Roman Catholicism and the Jansenism and Protestantism that broke away from it will differ from Orthodoxy in what they owe St. Augustine. Medieval conflicts between priesthood and empire, the introduction of the scholastic method in medieval universities, clericalism and anti-clericalism in Western society are in varying degrees and in different forms either a legacy or a consequence of Augustinianism.

In the IV-V centuries. there is another disagreement between Rome and other Churches. For all the Churches of the East and West, the primacy recognized for the Roman Church stemmed, on the one hand, from the fact that it was the Church of the former capital of the empire, and on the other, from the fact that it was glorified by the preaching and martyrdom of the two chief apostles Peter and Paul. ... But this is primacy inter pares(“Between equals”) did not mean that the Roman Church is the seat of the centralized government of the Ecumenical Church.

However, starting from the second half of the 4th century, a different understanding was born in Rome. The Church of Rome and her bishop demand a dominant authority for themselves, which would make it the governing body of government for the Ecumenical Church. According to Roman doctrine, this primacy is based on the clearly expressed will of Christ, who, in their opinion, endowed Peter with this authority, telling him: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church” (Matthew 16, 18). The Pope considered himself not just the successor of Peter, who has since then been recognized as the first bishop of Rome, but also his vicar, in which, as it were, the supreme apostle continues to live and through him to rule the Ecumenical Church.

Despite some resistance, this primacy clause was gradually accepted by the entire West. The rest of the Churches as a whole adhered to the ancient understanding of primacy, often allowing some ambiguity in their relations with the Roman See.

Crisis in the Late Middle Ages

VII century witnessed the birth of Islam, which began to spread at lightning speed, helped by jihad- the holy war that allowed the Arabs to conquer the Persian Empire, long time the former formidable rival of the Roman Empire, as well as the territory of the patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. Starting from this period, the patriarchs of the cities mentioned were often forced to entrust the management of the remaining Christian flock to their representatives, who were in the field, while they themselves had to live in Constantinople. As a result of this, there was a relative decrease in the importance of these patriarchs, and the patriarch of the capital of the empire, whose see already at the time of the Council of Chalcedon (451) was placed in second place after Rome, thus became, to some extent, the supreme judge of the Churches of the East.

With the emergence of the Isaurian dynasty (717), an iconoclastic crisis broke out (726). Emperors Leo III (717-741), Constantine V (741-775) and their successors forbade depicting Christ and saints and venerating icons. Opponents of the imperial doctrine, mainly monks, were thrown into prisons, tortured, and killed, as in the days of pagan emperors.

The popes supported the opponents of iconoclasm and broke off communion with the iconoclastic emperors. And those in response to this annexed to the Patriarchate of Constantinople Calabria, Sicily and Illyria (the western part of the Balkans and northern Greece), which until that time were under the jurisdiction of the Pope.

At the same time, in order to more successfully resist the offensive of the Arabs, the iconoclastic emperors proclaimed themselves adherents of Greek patriotism, which was very far from the prevailing universalist "Roman" idea, and lost interest in the non-Greek regions of the empire, in particular, in northern and central Italy. which the Lombards claimed.

The legality of the veneration of icons was restored at the VII Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (787). After a new round of iconoclasm that began in 813, Orthodox teaching finally triumphed in Constantinople in 843.

Communication between Rome and the empire was thereby restored. But the fact that the iconoclastic emperors limited their foreign policy interests to the Greek part of the empire led to the fact that the popes began to look for other patrons for themselves. Previously, popes who did not have territorial sovereignty were loyal subjects of the empire. Now, wounded by the annexation of Illyria to Constantinople and left without protection in the face of the invasion of the Lombards, they turned to the Franks and, to the detriment of the Merovingians, who had always maintained relations with Constantinople, began to contribute to the arrival of a new Carolingian dynasty, carriers of other ambitions.

In 739, Pope Gregory III, seeking to prevent the Lombard king Luitprand from uniting Italy under his rule, turned to Majord Karl Martel, who tried to use the death of Theodoric IV in order to eliminate the Merovingians. In exchange for his help, he promised to renounce all loyalty to the Emperor of Constantinople and take advantage of the exclusive patronage of the King of the Franks. Gregory III was the last pope to ask the emperor for approval of his election. His successors will already be confirmed by the Frankish court.

Karl Martel could not live up to the hopes of Gregory III. However, in 754, Pope Stephen II personally went to France to meet with Pepin the Short. He in 756 conquered Ravenna from the Lombards, but instead of returning to Constantinople, he handed it over to the Pope, laying the foundation for the soon formed Papal Region, which turned the popes into independent secular rulers. In order to provide a legal basis for the current situation, the famous forgery - "Constantine's Gift" was developed in Rome, according to which the Emperor Constantine allegedly transferred to Pope Sylvester (314-335) imperial powers over the West.

On September 25, 800, Pope Leo III, without any participation of Constantinople, placed the imperial crown on the head of Charlemagne and named him emperor. Neither Charlemagne, nor later other Germanic emperors, who to some extent restored the empire he created, did not become co-rulers of the Emperor of Constantinople, in accordance with the code adopted shortly after the death of Emperor Theodosius (395). Constantinople has repeatedly proposed a compromise solution of this kind that would preserve the unity of Romania. But the Carolingian empire wanted to be the only legitimate Christian empire and sought to take the place of the Constantinople empire, considering it obsolete. That is why theologians from the entourage of Charlemagne allowed themselves to condemn the decrees of the VII Ecumenical Council on the veneration of icons as tainted by idolatry and introduce Filioque in the Niceo-Constantinople Symbol of Faith. However, the popes soberly opposed these imprudent measures aimed at belittling the Greek faith.

However, the political divide between the Frankish world and the papacy on the one hand and the ancient Roman Empire of Constantinople on the other was a foregone conclusion. And such a break could not but lead to a religious split itself, if we take into account the special theological significance that Christian thought attached to the unity of the empire, considering it as an expression of the unity of the people of God.

In the second half of the IX century. the antagonism between Rome and Constantinople manifested itself on a new basis: the question arose of what jurisdiction the Slavic peoples, who were entering the path of Christianity at that time, should be attributed to. This new conflict has also left a deep mark on European history.

At that time, Nicholas I (858-867) became pope, an energetic man who sought to establish the Roman concept of the pope's domination in the Ecumenical Church, to limit the interference of secular authorities in church affairs, and also fought against centrifugal tendencies that manifested themselves in part of the Western episcopate. He backed up his actions with counterfeit decrees that had recently been circulated, allegedly issued by previous popes.

In Constantinople, Photius became the patriarch (858-867 and 877-886). As modern historians have convincingly established, the personality of Saint Photius and the events of the time of his reign were strongly denigrated by his opponents. It was very educated person deeply devoted to the Orthodox faith, a zealous servant of the Church. He well understood how important the enlightenment of the Slavs was. It was on his initiative that Saints Cyril and Methodius set out to enlighten the Great Moravian lands. Their mission in Moravia was ultimately strangled and driven out by the machinations of German preachers. Nevertheless, they managed to translate the liturgical and most important biblical texts into the Slavic language, creating an alphabet for this, and thus laid the foundation for the culture of the Slavic lands. Photius was also involved in enlightening the peoples of the Balkans and Rus. In 864 he baptized Boris, Prince of Bulgaria.

But Boris, disappointed that he had not received from Constantinople an autonomous church hierarchy for his people, turned for a while to Rome, accepting Latin missionaries. Photios learned that they were preaching the Latin doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit and, it seems, were using the Creed with the addition of Filioque.

At the same time, Pope Nicholas I intervened in the internal affairs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, seeking the removal of Photius, so that, with the help of church intrigues, the former Patriarch Ignatius, deposed in 861, was restored to the pulpit.In response, Emperor Michael III and Saint Photius convened a council in Constantinople (867) , whose regulations were subsequently destroyed. This council, apparently, recognized the doctrine of Filioque heretical, declared the pope's interference in the affairs of the Church of Constantinople unlawful and broke off liturgical communion with him. And since the Western bishops in Constantinople received complaints about the "tyranny" of Nicholas I, the council proposed to the Emperor Louis of Germany to depose the pope.

As a result of the palace coup, Photius was deposed, and a new council (869-870), convened in Constantinople, condemned him. This cathedral is still considered in the West VIII By the Ecumenical Council... Then, under the emperor Basil I, Saint Photius was returned from disgrace. In 879, a council was again convened in Constantinople, which, in the presence of the legates of the new Pope John VIII (872-882), restored Photius to the see. At the same time, concessions were made regarding Bulgaria, which returned to the jurisdiction of Rome, while retaining the Greek clergy. However, Bulgaria soon achieved church independence and remained in the orbit of the interests of Constantinople. Pope John VIII wrote a letter to Patriarch Photius condemning the addition Filioque c The Creed without condemning the doctrine itself. Photius, probably not noticing this subtlety, decided that he had won the victory. Contrary to persistent misconceptions, it can be argued that there was no so-called second Photius schism, and liturgical communion between Rome and Constantinople continued for more than a century.

The gap in the XI century

XI century for the Byzantine Empire was truly "golden". The power of the Arabs was finally undermined, Antioch returned to the empire, a little more - and Jerusalem would have been liberated. The Bulgarian Tsar Simeon (893-927), who was trying to create a Romano-Bulgarian empire advantageous for him, was defeated, the same fate befell Samuil, who raised an uprising to form a Macedonian state, after which Bulgaria returned to the empire. Kievan Rus, having adopted Christianity, quickly became part of the Byzantine civilization. The rapid cultural and spiritual upsurge that began immediately after the triumph of Orthodoxy in 843 was accompanied by the political and economic flourishing of the empire.

Oddly enough, but the victories of Byzantium, including over Islam, were also beneficial to the West, creating favorable conditions for the birth Western Europe in the form in which it will exist for many centuries. And the starting point of this process can be considered the formation in 962 of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation and in 987 of the Capetian France. Nevertheless, it was precisely in the 11th century, which seemed so promising, that a spiritual break occurred between the new Western world and the Roman Empire of Constantinople, an irreparable split, the consequences of which were tragic for Europe.

Since the beginning of the XI century. the pope's name was no longer mentioned in the diptychs of Constantinople, which meant that communication with him was interrupted. This is the completion of a long process that we are studying. It is not known exactly what caused this breakup. Perhaps the reason was the inclusion Filioque in a confession of faith sent by Pope Sergius IV to Constantinople in 1009 together with a notice of his accession to the Roman throne. Be that as it may, but during the coronation of the German emperor Henry II (1014) the Creed was sung in Rome from Filioque.

Besides the introduction Filioque It was still whole line Latin customs that angered the Byzantines and increased the grounds for disagreement. Among them, the use of unleavened bread for the celebration of the Eucharist was especially serious. If in the first centuries leavened bread was used everywhere, then from the 7th-8th centuries the Eucharist began to be celebrated in the West using wafers of unleavened bread, that is, without leaven, as the ancient Jews did on their Passover. The symbolic language at that time was of great importance, which is why the Greeks perceived the use of unleavened bread as a return to Judaism. They saw in this a denial of the novelty and the spiritual nature of the Savior's sacrifice, which were offered by Him instead of the Old Testament rites. In their eyes, the use of "dead" bread meant that the Savior in incarnation took only a human body, but not a soul ...

In the XI century. the strengthening of papal power continued with greater force, which began during the time of Pope Nicholas I. The fact is that in the X century. the power of the papacy was weakened as never before, being the victim of the actions of various factions of the Roman aristocracy or under the pressure of the German emperors. Various abuses spread in the Roman Church: the sale of church offices and the granting of them by laity, marriage or cohabitation among the priesthood ... But during the pontificate of Leo XI (1047-1054), a real reform of the Western Church began. The new pope surrounded himself with worthy people, mostly natives of Lorraine, among whom stood out Cardinal Humbert, bishop of White Silva. The reformers saw no other means of correcting the plight of Latin Christianity other than strengthening the power and authority of the pope. In their view, the papal authority, as they understood it, should extend to the Universal Church, both Latin and Greek.

In 1054, an event occurred that could have remained insignificant, but served as a pretext for a dramatic clash between the church tradition of Constantinople and the Western reformist movement.

In an effort to get the help of the pope in the face of the threat of the Normans, who encroached on the Byzantine possessions of southern Italy, Emperor Constantine Monomakh, at the instigation of the Latin Argir, appointed by him as ruler of these possessions, took a conciliatory position towards Rome and wished to restore unity, interrupted, as we saw, at the beginning of the century ... But the actions of the Latin reformers in southern Italy, infringing upon Byzantine religious customs, worried the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Kirularius. The papal legates, among whom was the adamant Bishop of White Silva, Cardinal Humbert, who arrived in Constantinople for negotiations on unification, planned to remove the intractable patriarch with the hands of the emperor. The matter ended with the legates placing on the throne of Hagia Sophia a bull about the excommunication of Michael Kirularius and his supporters. And a few days later, in response to this, the patriarch and the council convened by him excommunicated the legates themselves from the Church.

Two circumstances gave importance to the hasty and thoughtless act of the legates, which could not be appreciated at that time. First, they again raised the issue of Filioque, improperly reproaching the Greeks for excluding him from the Creed, although non-Latin Christianity has always viewed this teaching as contrary to the apostolic tradition. In addition, the Byzantines became clear about the plans of the reformers to extend the absolute and direct power of the pope to all bishops and believers, even in Constantinople itself. Presented in this form, ecclesiology seemed to them completely new and also could not help but contradict the apostolic tradition in their eyes. After familiarizing themselves with the situation, the rest of the Eastern patriarchs joined the position of Constantinople.

1054 should be regarded not so much as the date of the split, but as the year of the first failed attempt at reunification. No one then could have imagined that the division that occurred between those Churches that would soon be called Orthodox and Roman Catholic would last for centuries.

After the split

The schism was based mainly on doctrinal factors related to different ideas about the mystery of the Holy Trinity and about the structure of the Church. To these were added also differences on less important issues related to church customs and rituals.

During the Middle Ages, the Latin West continued to develop in a direction that further removed it from the Orthodox world and its spirit.<…>

On the other hand, serious events took place that made it even more difficult to understand between the Orthodox peoples and the Latin West. Probably the most tragic of these was IV crusade, deviated from the main path and ended with the destruction of Constantinople, the proclamation of the Latin emperor and the establishment of the rule of the Frankish lords, who at their own discretion cut the land holdings of the former Roman Empire. Many Orthodox monks were expelled from their monasteries and replaced by Latin monks. All this probably happened unintentionally, nevertheless, this turn of events was a logical consequence of the creation of the Western empire and the evolution of the Latin Church from the beginning of the Middle Ages.<…>

The table "Comparing the Catholic and Orthodox Churches" will help you better understand the fundamental differences when studying the history of the Middle Ages in grade 6, and can also be used as a review in high school.

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"Table" Comparison of the Catholic and Orthodox Church "

Table. Catholic and Orthodox Church

	Catholic Church	Orthodox Church
Name	Roman catholic	Greek Orthodox Eastern Catholic
	Pope (pontiff)	Patriarch of Constantinople
		Constantinople
Relationship to the Mother of God
Images in temples	Sculptures and frescoes
Music in the temple	Organ use
The language of worship

Table. Catholic and Orthodox Church.

How many mistakes have been made? What mistakes were made?

	Catholic Church	Orthodox Church
Name	Roman catholic	Greek Orthodox Eastern Catholic
	Pope (pontiff)	Patriarch of Constantinople
		Constantinople
	Believes that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father through the Son.	He believes that the Holy Spirit proceeds both from the Father and from the Son (filioque; lat. Filioque - "and from the Son"). Eastern Catholics have a different opinion on this issue.
Relationship to the Mother of God	The embodiment of Beauty, Wisdom, Truth, Youth, happy motherhood	Queen of Heaven, patroness and comforter
Images in temples	Sculptures and frescoes
Music in the temple		Organ use
	Seven sacraments are accepted: baptism, anointing, repentance, the Eucharist, marriage, priesthood, blessing of oil. During the ceremonies, you can sit on the benches The Eucharist is celebrated on leavened bread (bread made with yeast); communion for the clergy and laity with the Body of Christ and His Blood (bread and wine)	Seven sacraments are accepted: baptism, anointing, repentance, the Eucharist, marriage, priesthood, blessing of unification (unction). The Eucharist is celebrated on unleavened bread (unleavened bread made without yeast); communion for the clergy - in the Body and Blood of Christ (bread and wine), for the laity - only in the Body of Christ (bread). You cannot sit during the rituals
The language of worship	In most countries, worship in Latin	In most countries, worship at national languages; in Russia, as a rule, in Church Slavonic.

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

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

The words on the tablet on the crosses are the same, the only difference is the languages ​​in which the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth is King of the Jews. 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.N.TS.I.

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

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

The most fundamental difference in 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, in a crown of thorns, with his hands sagging under the weight of the body, while on the Orthodox crucifix there are no naturalistic traces of Christ's suffering, the image of the Savior shows the victory of life over death, the Spirit over the body.

Catholics and Orthodox have many differences in the ritual part. So, the differences in the performance of the sign of the cross are obvious. Orthodox Christians cross from right to left, Catholics from left to right.

The norm of the Catholic blessing of the cross was approved in 1570 by Pope Pius V "Blessing himself ... makes a cross from forehead to chest and from left shoulder to right."

V Orthodox tradition the norm for the fulfillment of the sign of the cross changed in terms of two fingers and three fingers, but church leaders wrote about the need to be baptized from right to left before and after Nikon's reform.

Catholics usually cross with all five fingers as a sign of "ulcers on the body of the Lord Jesus Christ" - two on their hands, two on their feet, one from a spear. In Orthodoxy, after Nikon's reform, a three-finger was adopted: three fingers are folded together (symbolism of the Trinity), two fingers are pressed to the palm (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 system of monasticism of the two churches, in the traditions of iconography, the Orthodox and Catholics have a lot of differences on the dogmatic side.

Thus, the Orthodox Church does not recognize the Catholic teaching on the super-due merits of saints, according to which the great Catholic saints, the Teachers of the Church left an inexhaustible treasury of "super-due good deeds" so that then sinners could use the riches from it for their salvation.

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

Depending on the zeal of the sinner, the Pontiff can take riches from the treasury and provide them to a sinful person, since a person does not have enough of his own good deeds for salvation.

The concept of "indulgence" is directly related to the concept of "super-due merits", when a person for the amount contributed is freed from punishment for his sins.

V late XIX century, the Roman Catholic Church proclaimed the dogma of the Pope's infallibility. According to him, when the Pope (as the head of the Church) defines her teaching concerning faith or morality, he has infallibility (infallibility) and is protected from the very possibility of error.

This doctrinal inerrancy 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 sinlessness.

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

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

The Orthodox Church did not accept either the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope or the dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Also, the Orthodox Church does not recognize the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

The understanding of what a person's soul goes through after death also differs in Orthodoxy and Catholicism. In Catholicism, there is a dogma about purgatory - special condition, which contains the soul of the deceased. Orthodoxy denies the existence of purgatory, although it recognizes the need for prayer for the dead.

In Orthodoxy, in contrast to 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 a private judgment.

Two angels lead the soul along this path. Each of the ordeals, the number of which is 20, is ruled by demons - unclean spirits trying to take the soul passing through the ordeal to hell. According to the expression of St. Theophan the Recluse: "No matter how wild the thought of ordeals seems to clever people, they cannot be avoided." The Catholic Church does not recognize the doctrine of ordeals.

The key dogmatic divergence of 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 doctrine of the Trinity: about the procession of the Holy Spirit not only from God the Father, but "from the Father and the Son."

Pope Benedict VIII in 1014 included the term "filioque" in the Symbol of Faith, 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 - Lyons (1274) and Ferraro-Florentine (1431-1439).

In modern Catholic theology, the attitude towards the filioque, oddly enough, has changed a lot. 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 Symbol of Faith is given as amended without the "filioque": "Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre proceit, qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur, qui locutus est per prophetas" ... (“And into the Holy Spirit, the Lord giving life, from the Father who proceeds, who, together with the Father and the Son, deserves 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 viceroy of Jesus Christ, its visible head (Vicarius Christi), the Pope of Rome.

... Tomorrow morning the priest will give me a little one,
round, thin, cold and tasteless cookies.
K.S. Lewis “The Pain of Loss. Observations ”(“ Woe from within ”).
Our weapon was the word -
We soaked him in the blood of the enemy ...
L. Bocharova, "Inquisitia"

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

Of course, there are many other differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. From principled, like the notorious dogma about "Filioque", to small, almost ridiculous ones: for example, we cannot agree in any way whether unleavened or leavened (leavened) bread should be used in the sacrament of the Sacrament. But such differences, which do not directly affect the life of parishioners, are not included in the table.

Comparison criterion	Orthodoxy	Catholicism
Head of the church	Christ Himself. The earthly church is ruled by the patriarch, but serious decisions are made by the Synod (meeting of metropolitans), and the most important, especially on matters of faith, by the Council (meeting of priests delegates from the whole Church).	Pope, "vicarius Christi", i.e. viceroy of Christ. He possesses full one-person power, both ecclesiastical and doctrinal: his judgments on matters of faith are fundamentally correct, undeniable and have dogmatic force (force of law).
Relation to the covenants of the ancient Church	They must be fulfilled. Because this is the method of spiritual growth that the holy fathers have given us. If circumstances change and covenants do not work, they are allowed not to be fulfilled (see next point).	They must be fulfilled. Because these are the laws that were established by the holy fathers. If the circumstances have changed and the laws do not work, they are canceled (see next paragraph).
How complex and controversial issues are resolved	The priest (bishop, council) makes a decision for this particular case. Having previously prayed to God for the sending of reason and the discovery of the will of God.	The priest (bishop, Council, Pope) is looking for an appropriate law. If there is no suitable law, the priest (bishop, Council, Pope) accepts new law for this case.
Committing Church Sacraments and the role of the priest	The Lord performs the sacraments. The priest asks for us before the Lord, and through his holy prayers the Lord descends to us, performing the Sacraments by His power. The main condition for the validity of the Sacrament is the sincere faith of those approaching.	The sacraments are performed by the priest himself: he has in himself a "reserve" of Divine power and endows it in the Sacraments. The main condition for the validity of the Sacrament is its correct performance, i.e. execution exactly according to the canon.
Celibacy of priests (celibacy)	Mandatory for monks and bishops (high priests). Ordinary priests can be both monks and married.	Celibacy is compulsory for all clergymen (both monks and priests of all levels).
Attitude towards divorce, the possibility of divorce for laity	Divorce is the destruction of the Sacrament, the recognition of the sin of the divorced and the mistakes of the Church (since she had previously blessed their marriage). Therefore, divorce is allowed in exceptional cases, under special circumstances, with the permission of the bishop, and only for lay people (i.e., divorce is prohibited for married priests).	A divorce would be the destruction of the Sacrament, the confession of the sin of the divorced, the error of the priest (see above about the administration of the Sacraments) and the entire Church. It's impossible. Therefore, divorce is not possible. However, in exceptional cases, it is possible to recognize a marriage as invalid (dispensatio) - i.e. as if there was no marriage at all.
Organization of worship: a) Language b) Singing c) Duration d) Behavior of believers	a) The service is in the native language or its ancient version (like Church Slavonic). The language is close, mostly understandable. Believers pray together and are partakers of worship. b) Only live singing is used. c) The services are long, heavy. d) Believers are standing. It takes effort. On the one hand, it does not allow one to relax, on the other, the person gets tired and distracted faster.	a). The service is in Latin. The language is not clear to most of those present. Believers follow the progress of the service according to the book, but they pray individually, each one by himself. b) Organs are used. c) Services of medium duration. d) Believers are sitting. On the one hand, it is easier to concentrate this way (fatigue does not interfere), on the other hand, a sitting posture provokes relaxation and just watching the service.
Correct prayer structure	The prayer is "intelligent-hearted", that is, calm. It is forbidden to imagine any images and, moreover, to deliberately "inflame" feelings. Even sincere and deep feelings (like remorse) should not be expressed demonstratively, in front of everyone. In general, prayer should be reverent. This is an appeal to God in thought and spirit.	The prayer is fervent, emotional. It is recommended to imagine visible images, to warm up your emotions. Deep feelings can be expressed externally. As a result, prayer is emotional, exalted. This is an appeal to God with heart and soul.
Attitude to sin and commandments	Sin is a sickness (or wound) of the soul. And the commandments are warnings (or warnings): "do not do this, otherwise you will harm yourself."	Sin is a violation of laws (the commandments of God and the ordinances of the Church). The commandments are the laws (ie prohibitions): "do not do this, otherwise you will be guilty."
Forgiveness of sin and the meaning of confession	Sin is forgiven through repentance, when a person brings God sincere repentance and a request for forgiveness. (And the intention to continue to struggle with sin, of course.) In addition to granting forgiveness, the task of confession is to determine why a person sinned and how to help him get rid of sin.	Sin is forgiven through "satsifakcio", i.e. redemption to God. Repentance is necessary, but may not be profound; the main thing is to work hard (or be punished) and thus “work off” God’s sin. The task of confession is to determine exactly how a person sinned (i.e. what he violated) and what punishment should be incurred.
After death and the fate of sinners	The dead go through an ordeal - an "obstacle course" where they are tested in sins. The saints pass easily and ascend to paradise. Those subject to sins linger on ordeals. Great sinners do not pass and are thrown into hell.	The deceased is assessed by the amount of earthly affairs. Saints immediately go to heaven, great sinners go to hell, and "ordinary" people go to purgatory. This is a place of sorrow, where the soul is punished for some time for sins that were not redeemed during life.
Help for the dead	Through the prayers of relatives, friends and the Church, some of the sins of the sinner's soul can be forgiven. Therefore, prayer makes it easier to go through the ordeals. We believe that through the fervent prayers of the Church and the holy fathers, even the liberation of a soul from hell is possible.	Prayer lightens the torture of purgatory, but does not shorten its duration. You can shorten the term at the expense of the sacred deeds of other people. This is possible if the Pope transfers their "extra" merit to the sinner (the so-called "treasury of merit"), for example, with the help of indulgence.
Attitude towards babies	Babies are baptized, anointed and given communion. The Orthodox believe that the grace of the Lord is given to infants and helps them, even if they do not yet understand the high meaning of the Sacraments.	Babies are baptized - but they do not anoint or receive Holy Communion until they reach a conscious age. Catholics believe that a person should become worthy of the Sacraments, i.e. grow up and realize what kind of grace it receives.
Attitude towards fellow believers	"All people are brothers." The Orthodox are inclined towards communality (kenovia).	"Each is valuable in itself." Catholics are prone to individualism (idiorhythmy).
Relationship to the Church	The church is a family where love is the main thing.	The church is a state where the main thing is the law.
Outcome	Orthodoxy is life "from the heart", that is, first of all - for love.	Catholicism is life "from the head", that is, first of all - according to the law.

Notes.

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