Who are Catholics? How Catholics are baptized

It will be the largest direction in Christianity.

It is most widespread in Europe (Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, it should be said - Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary), in Latin America and the USA. To one degree or another, Catholicism is widespread in almost all countries of the globe. Word "Catholicism" comes from Latin - “universal, universal”. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the church remained the only centralized organization and force capable of stopping the onset of chaos. This led to the political rise of the church and its influence on the formation of the states of Western Europe.

Features of the doctrine of "Catholicism"

Catholicism has a number of features in its creed, cult and structure of religious organization, which reflect the specific features of the development of Western Europe.
It is worth noting that the basis of the doctrine is the Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. All books included in the Latin translation of the Bible (Vulgate) are considered canonical. Only the clergy is given the right to interpret the text of the Bible. The Holy Tradition is formed by the decisions of the 21st Ecumenical Council (Orthodoxy recognizes only the first seven), as well as the judgments of the popes on church and worldly issues. The clergy takes a vow of celibacy - celibacy, thereby it becomes, as it were, a participant in divine grace, which separates it from the laity, whom the church likened to a flock, and the clergy was assigned the role of shepherds. The Church helps the laity achieve salvation through the treasury of good deeds, i.e. the abundance of good deeds performed by Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the saints. As the vicar of Christ on earth, the pope manages this treasury of supererogatory affairs, distributing them among those who need them. By the way, this practice, called distribution indulgences, was subjected to fierce criticism from Orthodoxy and led to a split in Catholicism and the emergence of a new direction in Christianity - Protestantism.

Catholicism follows the Nice-Constantinopolitan Creed, but creates a different understanding of a number of dogmas. On Toledo Cathedral in 589, an addition was made to the Creed about the procession of the Holy Spirit not only from God the Father, but also from God the Son (lat. filioque- and from the Son) Until now, this understanding will be the main obstacle to dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic churches.

A feature of Catholicism will also be the sublime veneration of the Mother of God - the Virgin Mary, the recognition of the dogmas about her immaculate conception and bodily ascension, in conjunction with which the Most Holy Theotokos was taken to heaven “with soul and body for heavenly glory.” In 1954, a special holiday dedicated to the “Queen of Heaven” was established.

Seven Sacraments of Catholicism

In addition to the common doctrine of Christianity about the existence of heaven and hell, Catholicism recognizes the doctrine of purgatory as an intermediate place where the soul of a sinner is purified by going through severe trials.

Commitment sacraments- ritual actions accepted in Christianity, with the help of which special grace is transmitted to believers, in Catholicism it is distinguished by a number of features.

Catholics, like Orthodox Christians, recognize seven sacraments:

baptism;
communion (Eucharist);
priesthood;
repentance (confession);
anointing (confirmation);
marriage;
consecration of oil (unction)

The sacrament of baptism is performed by pouring water, anointing or confirmation is performed when the child reaches seven or eight years of age, and in Orthodoxy - immediately after baptism. The sacrament of communion among Catholics is performed on unleavened bread, and among Orthodox Christians on leavened bread. Until recently, only the clergy received communion with wine and bread, and the laity only with bread. The sacrament of unction - the prayer service and anointing of a sick or dying person with a special oil - oil - is considered in Catholicism as a church blessing for the dying, and in Orthodoxy - as a way of healing an illness. Until recently, services in Catholicism were performed exclusively in Latin, which made it completely incomprehensible to believers. Only II We should not forget that the Vatican Council(1962-1965) allowed service in national languages.

The veneration of saints, martyrs, and blessed ones is extremely developed in Catholicism, the ranks of which are constantly multiplying. The center of religious and ritual rituals will be a temple decorated with paintings and sculptures on religious themes. Catholicism actively uses all means of aesthetic influence on the feelings of believers, both visual and musical.

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

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

Besides the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), there is the Georgian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox Church, Romanian Orthodox Church, etc.

The Orthodox Churches are governed by patriarchs, metropolitans and archbishops. Not all Orthodox Churches have communion with each other in prayers and sacraments (which is necessary for individual Churches to be part of the one Ecumenical Church according to the catechism of Metropolitan Philaret) and recognize each other as true churches.

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

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

The main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism:

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

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

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

An angel frees souls in purgatory, Lodovico Carracci

4. The Catholic Church proclaimed the dogma of purgatory. This is the state of souls after death, destined for heaven, but not yet ready for it. 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 an intermediate state for whom there is still hope of going to heaven after the Last Judgment;

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

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

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

8. The Catholic Church has proclaimed the dogma that the Pope is infallible in matters of faith and morals when he, in agreement with all the bishops, affirms what the Catholic Church has already believed for many centuries. Orthodox believers believe that only the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils are infallible;

Pope Pius V

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Confessionals or confessionals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

appearance of the risen christ to mary magdalene

23. Catholics are hell-bent on opposing contraception of any kind, which seems especially pertinent during the AIDS pandemic. And Orthodoxy recognizes the possibility of using some contraceptives that do not have an abortifacient effect, for example, condoms and female contraceptives. Of course, legally married.

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

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

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

It is the largest destination in.

It is most widespread in Europe (Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary), Latin America and the USA. To one degree or another, Catholicism is widespread in almost all countries of the globe. Word "Catholicism" comes from Latin - “universal, universal”. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the church remained the only centralized organization and force capable of stopping the onset of chaos. This led to the political rise of the church and its influence on the formation of the states of Western Europe.

Features of the doctrine of "Catholicism"

Catholicism has a number of features in its doctrine, cult and structure of religious organization, which reflect the specific features of the development of Western Europe. The basis of the doctrine is the Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. All books included in the Latin translation of the Bible (Vulgate) are considered canonical. Only the clergy is given the right to interpret the text of the Bible. Sacred Tradition is formed by the decisions of the 21st Ecumenical Council (recognizes only the first seven), as well as the judgments of the popes on church and worldly issues. The clergy takes a vow of celibacy - celibacy, thereby it becomes, as it were, a participant in divine grace, which separates it from the laity, whom the church likened to a flock, and the clergy was assigned the role of shepherds. The Church helps the laity achieve salvation through the treasury of good deeds, i.e. the abundance of good deeds performed by Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the saints. As Christ's vicar on earth, the pope manages this treasury of supererogatory affairs, distributing them among those who need them. This practice, called distribution indulgences, was subjected to fierce criticism from Orthodoxy and led to a split in Catholicism and the emergence of a new direction in Christianity -.

Catholicism follows the Nice-Constantinopolitan Creed, but creates its own understanding of a number of dogmas. On Toledo Cathedral in 589, an addition was made to the Creed about the procession of the Holy Spirit not only from God the Father, but also from God the Son (lat. filioque- and from the Son). Until now, this understanding has been the main obstacle to dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic churches.

A feature of Catholicism is also the sublime veneration of the Mother of God - the Virgin Mary, the recognition of the dogmas about her immaculate conception and bodily ascension, according to which the Most Holy Theotokos was taken to heaven “with soul and body for heavenly glory.” In 1954, a special holiday dedicated to the “Queen of Heaven” was established.

Seven Sacraments of Catholicism

Commitment sacraments- ritual actions accepted in Christianity, with the help of which special grace is transmitted to believers, differs in a number of features in Catholicism.

Catholics, like Orthodox Christians, recognize seven sacraments:

baptism;
communion (Eucharist);
priesthood;
repentance (confession);
anointing (confirmation);
marriage;
consecration of oil (unction).

The sacrament of baptism is performed by pouring water, anointing or confirmation is performed when the child reaches seven or eight years of age, and in Orthodoxy - immediately after baptism. The sacrament of communion among Catholics is performed on unleavened bread, and among Orthodox Christians on leavened bread. Until recently, only the clergy received communion with wine and bread, and the laity only with bread. The sacrament of unction - the prayer service and anointing of a sick or dying person with a special oil - oil - is considered in Catholicism as a church blessing for the dying, and in Orthodoxy - as a way of healing an illness. Until recently, services in Catholicism were performed exclusively in Latin, which made it completely incomprehensible to believers. Only II Vatican Council(1962-1965) allowed service in national languages.

The veneration of saints, martyrs, and blessed ones is extremely developed in Catholicism, the ranks of which are constantly multiplying. The center of religious and ritual rituals is the temple, decorated with works of painting and sculpture on religious themes. Catholicism actively uses all means of aesthetic influence on the feelings of believers, both visual and musical.

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 more and more 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 blessed water over a person, 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 there are sculptures (except for 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 Latin American countries 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. The Orthodox Churches are governed by patriarchs, metropolitans and archbishops. Not all Orthodox Churches have communion with each other in prayers and sacraments (which is necessary for individual Churches to be part of the one Ecumenical Church according to the catechism of Metropolitan Philaret) and recognize each other as true churches.

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

Now we can talk about the differences:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video lectures on the Dogmas of the Catholic Church