One of the characteristic signs of the Catholic faith was. “What is the difference between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church?”

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

We have different crosses

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

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

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

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

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

Until 1054, the Christian Church was one and indivisible. The schism occurred due to disagreements between Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cyroularius. The conflict began due to the closing of several Latin churches by the latter in 1053. For this, the papal legates excommunicated Kirularius from the Church. In response, the patriarch anathematized the papal envoys. In 1965, the mutual curses were lifted. However, the schism of the Churches has not yet been overcome. Christianity is divided into three main directions: 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 teaching, performance of sacraments, etc. We'll talk about which ones a little later. First, let's make a short overview of the main directions of Christianity.

Orthodoxy, called the orthodox religion in the West, is currently practiced by about 200 million people. Approximately 5 thousand people are baptized every day. This direction of Christianity spread mainly in Russia, as well as in some CIS countries and Eastern Europe.

The baptism of Rus' 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 Vasily II, Anna. But for this he needed to convert to Christianity. An alliance with Byzantium was extremely necessary to strengthen the authority of Rus'. At the end of the summer of 988, a huge number of Kiev residents were baptized in the waters of the Dnieper.

Catholic Church

As a result of the schism in 1054, a separate denomination arose in Western Europe. Representatives of the Eastern Church called her “Catholicos”. Translated from Greek it means “universal”. The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism lies not only in the approach of these two Churches to some dogmas of Christianity, but also in the history of development itself. 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 a lot of grief to the common population. The first of them 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 - a church court for 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 discussed briefly in the article) is a very large and deep topic. However, in relation to the Church towards the population in general outline its traditions and basic concept can be understood. The Western confession has always been considered more dynamic, but also 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 14th 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 German Lutherans, the Swiss Reichstag issued a decree on the right of free choice of religion for 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 movement is further divided into two branches: early and late.

At the moment, Protestantism is widespread mainly in the Scandinavian countries: Canada, USA, England, Switzerland, and 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 movement: Baptists, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Calvinists.

In our time, the World Council of Protestant Churches pursues an active peacemaking policy. Representatives of this religion advocate easing international tension, support the efforts of states to defend peace, etc.

The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism

Of course, over the centuries of schism, significant differences have arisen in the traditions of the churches. They did not touch upon the basic principle of Christianity - the acceptance of Jesus as the Savior and Son of God. 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 rituals and sacraments do not agree.

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 very significant, but still discrepancies. They arose a long time ago, and, apparently, none of the churches expresses any particular desire to resolve these contradictions.

There are also differences in the attributes of different directions of Christianity. For example, the Catholic cross has a simple quadrangular shape. The Orthodox have eight points. 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 crossbar, it contains two more. The top one represents a tablet nailed to the cross and containing the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” The lower oblique crossbar - a support for Christ's feet - symbolizes the “righteous standard”.

Table of differences between 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, with regard to the cross there is also a very noticeable difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The table shows this clearly.

As for Protestants, they consider the cross to be a symbol of the Pope, and therefore 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) with regard to attributes is quite noticeable. There are even greater differences in these directions in icons. The rules for depicting Christ may differ, Mother of God, saints, etc.

Below are the main differences.

The main difference Orthodox icon from the Catholic is that it is written in strict accordance with the canons established in Byzantium. Western images of saints, Christ, etc., strictly speaking, have nothing to do with the icon. Typically, such paintings have a very broad subject and were 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 serving 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 subordinate only to its own bishop. Catholics have a different organization in this regard. The monasteries are united into so-called Orders, each of which has its own head and its own charter. These associations may be scattered throughout the world, but nevertheless they always have a common leadership.

Protestants, unlike Orthodox and Catholics, completely reject monasticism. 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. Both of these Churches have 7 sacraments. The difference lies primarily in the meaning attached to the main Christian rituals. Catholics believe that the sacraments are valid whether a person is in tune with them or not. According to the Orthodox Church, baptism, confirmation, etc. will be effective only for believers who are completely disposed towards them. Orthodox priests even often compare Catholic rites with some pagan magical ritual, acting regardless of whether a person believes in God or not.

The Protestant Church practices only two sacraments: baptism and communion. Representatives of this trend consider everything else superficial and reject it.

Baptism

This main Christian sacrament is recognized by all churches: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism. The only differences are in the methods of performing the ritual.

In Catholicism, it is customary for infants to be sprinkled or doused. According to the dogmas of the Orthodox Church, children are completely immersed in water. IN Lately There has been some departure from this rule. However, now the Russian Orthodox Church is again returning in this ritual to ancient traditions, established by Byzantine priests.

The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism (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 is therefore not very significant, but it still exists.

Protestants usually perform baptism 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 carried out exclusively for adults.

Differences in the Sacrament of the Eucharist

We have examined the main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. This refers to the descent of the Holy Spirit and the virginity of the birth of the Virgin Mary. Such significant differences have emerged over centuries of schism. Of course, they also exist in the celebration of one of the main Christian sacraments - the Eucharist. Catholic priests administer communion only with unleavened bread. 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, are allowed to receive communion. Representatives of this direction of Christianity celebrate the Eucharist in the same way as the Orthodox - with wine and bread.

Modern relations of the Churches

The split in Christianity occurred almost a thousand years ago. And during this time, churches of different directions failed to agree on unification. Disagreements regarding the interpretation of Holy Scripture, attributes and rituals, as you can see, have persisted to this day and have even intensified over the centuries.

The relations between the two main faiths, Orthodox and Catholic, are also quite ambiguous in our time. Until the middle of the last century, serious tension remained between these two churches. Key concept there was the word “heresy” in the relationship.

Recently this situation has changed a little. If earlier Catholic Church considered Orthodox Christians almost a collection of heretics and schismatics, then after the Second Vatican Council she recognized the orthodox Sacraments as valid.

Orthodox priests did not officially establish a similar 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 directions still remains. 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 worthy and serious difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Osipov considers many saints of the Western Church to be almost crazy. He also warns the Russian Orthodox Church that, for example, cooperation with Catholics threatens the Orthodox with complete subjugation. However, he also repeatedly mentioned that there are wonderful people among Western Christians.

Thus, the main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism is the attitude towards the Trinity. The Eastern Church believes that the Holy Spirit comes only from the Father. Western - both from the Father and from the Son. There are other differences between these faiths. 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 in the middle of the 20th century the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Holy See lifted mutual anathemas, the world did not unite, and the reason for this was both dogmatic differences between both faiths and political contradictions that were closely associated with the Church throughout its existence.

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

Sources of conflict

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

The first theologians to develop the foundations of Christian doctrine were people from various parts of the empire, often with personal spiritual and philosophical experience behind them. And in their works, if available common basis we may see certain accents that will become sources of controversy in the future. Those in power will cling to these contradictions in the interests of state, caring little about the spiritual side of the issue.

The unity of common Christian dogma was supported by the Ecumenical Councils; the formation of the clergy as a separate class of society followed the principle of continuity of ordinations from the Apostle Peter . But harbingers of a future split were already clearly visible, at least in such a matter as proselytism. During early Middle Ages New peoples began to enter the orbit of Christianity, and here the circumstance from whom the people received Baptism played a much greater role than the very fact of it. And this, in turn, had a strong impact on how the relationship between the Church and the new flock would develop, because the community of converts did not so much accept the doctrine as enter into the orbit of a stronger political structure.

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

The Byzantine Empire, on the contrary, had its roots in the pre-Christian era, and Christianity became part of the culture and identity of the population of this territory, but did not replace this culture entirely. The organization of the Eastern churches followed a different principle - locality. The church was organized as if from below, it was a community of believers - in contrast to the power vertical in Rome. 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 undesirable monarchs). The relationship with the latter was realized according to the principle of a symphony.

The further development of Christian theology in the East and West also proceeded in different ways. Scholasticism became widespread in the West, which attempted to combine faith and logic, which ultimately led to the conflict between faith and reason during the Renaissance. In the East, these concepts were never mixed, which is well reflected by the Russian proverb “Trust in God, but don’t make a mistake yourself.” On the one hand, this gave greater freedom of thought, on the other hand, it did not provide the practice of scientific dispute.

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

1. Dogmatic;
2. Ritual;
3. Mental.

Fundamental dogmatic differences

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

Views on the Holy Trinity

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

The Catholic Church believes that Divine grace comes not only from the Father, but also from the Son. Orthodoxy 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 beginning (remember that original sin considered disobedience to will God, and we still feel the consequences of Adam’s disobedience to this will (Gen. 3:19)).

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

Views on the unity of the Church

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

Resolutions of the Ecumenical Councils

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

Dogma of Purgatory

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

Differences in views on dogma

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

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

External differences

This is what catches your eye first. Oddly enough, but it was they, despite their lack of principles, that became the source of not only small conflicts, but also major upheavals. Typically it was the same for the Orthodox and Catholic churches, differences within which, at least regarding the views of the hierarchs, provoked the emergence of heresies and new schisms.

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

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

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

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

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

Another misconception is the primacy of ritual over consciousness. This is partly explained by the fact that human consciousness has largely remained pagan: he confuses ritual and sacrament, and uses them as a kind of magic, in which, as is known, following the instructions plays a decisive role.

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

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

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

• Baptism;
• Confirmation;
• Repentance;
• Eucharist;
• Wedding;
• Ordination;
• Blessing of Unction.

Catholics and Orthodox: what is the difference

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

Moreover, this is affecting us even now, when the number of people in the world who are not members of any denomination is growing, and the Church itself is losing its position in regulation different sides human life.

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

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

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

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

For a long time the Christian Church was united. Disagreements that periodically arose between the priests of the Western Roman and Eastern Roman Empires, as a rule, were quickly resolved during the discussion of controversial issues at ecumenical councils. However, gradually these differences became increasingly acute. And in 1054, the so-called “Great Schism” occurred, when the heads of Rome and Constantinople mutually cursed each other (“anathema”). From that moment on, the Christian Church was divided into the Roman Catholic Church, headed by the Pope, and the Orthodox Church, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Although this mutual relationship was abolished in 1965 by a joint decision of the heads of both churches, the division between Catholics and Orthodox is still in effect today.

What religious disagreements could lead to such a sad event as the division of the church

The Catholic Church, in contrast, recognizes the dogma of the infallibility of its supreme shepherd, the Pope. Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit can come not only from God the Father, but also from God the Son (which they deny). In addition, during the Sacrament of Communion for the laity, instead of yeast bread - prosphora and red wine, Catholic priests use small flat cakes made of unleavened dough - “wafers”, or “guests”. During the Sacrament of Baptism, Catholics pour water over a person blessed water, and do not immerse him headlong in water like the Orthodox.

The Catholic Church recognizes the existence of “purgatory” - a place between heaven and hell, while the Orthodox Church denies purgatory. Catholics, in contrast, believe in the posthumous bodily ascension of the Virgin Mary. Finally, Catholics cross themselves with the “left cross,” that is, they first put their fingers on the left shoulder and then on the right. Worship takes place in language. also in Catholic churches presence of sculptures (except icons) and seats.

Are the majority of believers Catholic? There are a lot of Catholics in European countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland, France, Ireland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. The majority of believers in states Latin America They are also adherents of Catholicism. Of the Asian countries, the Philippines has the most Catholics.

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

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

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

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

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

Now we can talk about the differences:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It should be noted that the Catholic Church recognizes that local Orthodox Churches are true Churches, preserving apostolic succession and true sacraments. Both Catholics and Orthodox Christians have the same Creed.

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

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

Video lectures on the Dogmas of the Catholic Church