Orthodoxy and Catholicism: attitudes and opinions about religion, the main differences from the Orthodox Church. The main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism

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 these was organized at the call of Pope Urban II in 1095. The last - the eighth - ended in 1270. The official goal of all crusades was the liberation of the “holy land” of Palestine and the “Holy Sepulcher” from the infidels. The actual one is the conquest of lands that belonged to Muslims.

In 1229, Pope George IX issued a decree establishing the Inquisition - 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 general terms, its traditions and basic concept can be understood in relation to the Church’s relationship with the population. 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. there was a split. 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 tensions, 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 - accepting 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, the Mother of God, saints, etc. may differ.

Below are the main differences.

The main difference between an Orthodox icon and a Catholic one is that it is painted 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 rituals with some kind of pagan magical ritual that operates regardless of whether a person believes in God or not.

The Protestant Church practices only two sacraments: baptism and communion. 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. Recently there has been some movement away from this rule. However, now the Russian Orthodox Church is again returning in this rite to the 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. The key concept in the relationship was the word “heresy.”

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

Orthodox priests did not officially establish 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.

The issue of religion is discussed and studied in every state and society. In some places it is especially acute and is quite conflicting and dangerous, in others it is more like small talk in free time, and in others it is an occasion to philosophize. In our multinational society, religion is one of the most pressing issues. Not every believer is well aware of the history of Orthodoxy and its origins, but when asked about Orthodoxy, we will all answer unequivocally that Orthodoxy is the Christian faith.

The emergence and development of Orthodoxy

Many scriptures and teachings, both ancient and modern, report that the Orthodox faith is true Christianity, citing their arguments and historical facts. And the question – “Orthodoxy or Christianity” – will always worry believers. But we will talk about accepted concepts.

Christianity is the largest form of social consciousness in the world, preaching the life path and teachings of Jesus Christ. According to historical data, Christianity arose in Palestine (part of the Roman Empire) in the 1st century.

Christianity was widespread among the Jewish population, and subsequently gained more and more recognition among other peoples, the so-called “pagans” at that time. Thanks to educational and propaganda activities, Christianity spread beyond the Roman Empire and Europe.

One of the ways of development of Christianity is Orthodoxy, which arose as a result of the division of churches in the 11th century. Then, in 1054, Christianity was divided into Catholicism and the Eastern Church, and the Eastern Church was also divided into several churches. The largest of them is Orthodoxy.

The spread of Orthodoxy in Rus' was influenced by its proximity to the Byzantine Empire. From these lands, the history of the Orthodox religion begins. Church power in Byzantium was divided due to the fact that it belonged to four patriarchs. The Byzantine Empire disintegrated over time, and the patriarchs uniformly headed the created autocephalous Orthodox churches. Subsequently, autonomous and autocephalous churches spread to the territories of other states.

The fundamental event in the formation of Orthodoxy in the lands of Kievan Rus was the baptism of Princess Olga in 954. This later led to the baptism of Rus' - 988. Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich called all the inhabitants of the city, and a baptism ceremony was performed in the Dnieper River, which was performed by Byzantine priests. This was the beginning of the history of the emergence and development of Orthodoxy in Kievan Rus.

The active development of Orthodoxy in Russian lands has been observed since the 10th century: churches, temples are being built, and monasteries are being created.

Principles and morals of Orthodoxy

Literally, “Orthodoxy” is correct glorification, or correct opinion. The philosophy of religion is the belief in one God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (God the Trinity).

The foundation in the doctrines of Orthodoxy is the Bible or “Holy Scripture” and “Holy Tradition”.

The connection between the state and Orthodoxy is quite distributed and understandable: the state does not make adjustments to the teachings of the church, and the church does not aim to control the state.

All principles, history, and laws are unlikely to be present in the thoughts and knowledge of every Orthodox person, but this does not interfere with faith. What does Orthodoxy teach at the philistine level? The Lord is the bearer of supreme intelligence and wisdom. The teachings of the Lord are irrefutably true:

• Mercy is trying to alleviate the sorrows of an unhappy person on your own. Both sides need mercy - the giver and the receiver. Mercy is helping those in need, a deed pleasing to God. Mercy is kept secret and not spread. Also, mercy is interpreted as loaned to Christ. The presence of mercy in a person means that he has a good heart and is morally rich.
• Perseverance and vigilance - consists of spiritual and physical strength, constant work and development, vigilance for good deeds and serving God. A persistent person is one who brings any task to the end, walking hand in hand with faith and hope, without losing heart. Keeping the Lord's commandments requires work and perseverance. Human kindness alone is not enough to spread goodness; vigilance and perseverance are always necessary.
• Confession is one of the Lord's sacraments. Confession helps to receive the support and grace of the Holy Spirit, strengthens faith. In confession, it is important to remember each of your sins, tell and repent. The one who listens to confession assumes the responsibility of forgiveness of sins. Without confession and forgiveness, a person will not be saved. Confession can be considered a second baptism. When committing sins, the connection with the Lord given at baptism is lost; during confession, this invisible connection is restored.
• The Church – through teaching and preaching, presents the grace of Christ to the world. In the communion of his blood and flesh, he unites man with the creator. The Church will not leave anyone in grief and misfortune, will not reject anyone, will forgive the repentant, will accept and teach the guilty. When a believer passes away, the church will not abandon him either, but will pray for the salvation of his soul. From birth to death, throughout life, in any situation, the church is nearby, opening its arms. In the temple, the human soul finds peace and tranquility.
• Sunday is a day of serving God. Sunday must be revered sacredly and the works of God done. Sunday is a day when you should leave everyday problems and everyday fuss and spend it with prayer and reverence for the Lord. Prayer and visiting the temple are the main activities on this day. You need to beware of communicating with people who like to gossip, use foul language, and tell lies. Anyone who sins on Sunday aggravates his sin 10 times.

What is the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism?

Orthodoxy and Catholicism have always been close to each other, but at the same time, fundamentally different. Initially, Catholicism is a branch of Christianity.

Among the differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, the following can be highlighted:

1. Catholicism professes that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son. Orthodoxy professes that the Holy Spirit comes only from the father.
2. The Catholic Church accepts the main position in religious education leading to the fact that the mother of Jesus, Mary, was not touched by original sin. The Orthodox Church believes that the Virgin Mary, like everyone else, was born with original sin.
3. In all matters of faith and morals, Catholics recognize the primacy of the Pope, which Orthodox believers do not accept.
4. Adherents of the Catholic religion make gestures describing the cross from left to right, adherents of the Orthodox religion do the opposite.
5. In Catholicism, it is customary to commemorate the deceased on the 3rd, 7th and 30th day from the day of death, in Orthodoxy - on the 3rd, 9th, 40th.
6. Catholics are ardent opponents of contraception; Orthodox Christians accept some of the types of contraception used in marriage.
7. Catholic priests are celibate; Orthodox priests are allowed to marry.
8. The sacrament of marriage. Catholicism rejects divorce, but Orthodoxy allows it in some individual cases.

Coexistence of Orthodoxy with other religions

Speaking about the relationship of Orthodoxy to other religions, it is worth emphasizing such traditional religions as Judaism, Islam and Buddhism.

1. Judaism. The religion is exclusively of the Jewish people. It is impossible to belong to Judaism without Jewish origin. For a long time, the attitude of Christians towards Jews has been quite hostile. Differences in understanding the person of Christ and his story greatly divide these religions. Repeatedly, such hostility led to cruelty (Holocaust, Jewish pogroms, etc.). On this basis, a new page began in relations between religions. The tragic fate of the Jewish people forced us to reconsider our relationship with Judaism, both at the religious and political levels. However, the general basis is that God is one, God the Creator, a participant in the life of every person, which today helps such religions as Judaism and Orthodoxy to live in harmony.
2. Islam. Orthodoxy and Islam also have a difficult history of relationship. Prophet Muhammad was the founder of the state, military leader, and political leader. Therefore, religion is very closely intertwined with politics and power. Orthodoxy is a free choice of religion, regardless of nationality, territoriality and language a person speaks. It should be noted that in the Koran there are references to Christians, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, these references are respectful and respectful. There are no calls for negativity or blame. At the political level, there are no conflicts of religions, but this does not exclude confrontations and hostility in small social groups.
3. Buddhism. Many clergy reject Buddhism as a religion because it has no understanding of God. Buddhism and Orthodoxy have similar features: the presence of temples, monasteries, prayers. It is worth noting that the prayer of an Orthodox person is a kind of dialogue with God, who appears to us as a living Being from whom we expect help. A Buddhist's prayer is more of a meditation, a reflection, an immersion in one's own thoughts. This is a fairly good religion that cultivates kindness, calmness, and will in people. In the entire history of the coexistence of Buddhism and Orthodoxy, there have been no conflicts, and it is impossible to say that there is potential for this.

Orthodoxy today

Today, Orthodoxy ranks 3rd in number among Christian denominations. Orthodoxy has a rich history. The path was not easy, a lot had to be overcome and experienced, but it is thanks to everything that happened that Orthodoxy has its place in this world.

Modern Christian society is represented by three movements: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. Every church proves itself to be true, sometimes forgetting the principles of God. Jesus left only two commandments for the people who believed in Him: to love God and to love your neighbor. If every religion stands on these principles, then what is the difference between them?

How is Orthodoxy different from Baptistism and what do they have in common?

A little history

Going to heaven with the Creator, Jesus left a small number of followers on earth who united into a single society, the church. It was not a specific building.

The first Christians were united by the teachings of the Savior. the desire to convey to all nations the message of possible salvation through faith in the Living God and eternal life. (Matthew 28:19)

Important! The basis of Christianity was the belief in Jesus, God the Son, who, together with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, represents the Holy Trinity. All Christians, both Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants, believe in it.

Trinity denotes the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Then Christians began to build houses of prayer, temples, and create rituals. As a result of disagreement on the issue of the Holy Spirit, the united church split into Orthodoxy and Catholicism in 1054.

Orthodoxy, which comes from the word orthodoxy, has its own movements. Catholicism continued to acquire rituals and innovations, so indulgences appeared, according to which you can buy forgiveness from sins with money. The role of the saving power of the blood of Christ no longer matters in this case; it was replaced by mammon.

This was one of the reasons for the breakaway of some believers from Catholicism under the leadership of Martin Luther in the twenties of the sixteenth century. The newly formed religion was called Protestantism, the main differences of which were the absence of icons, indulgences and the replacement of rituals with sermons.

Disagreements among Christians did not stop; new denominations arose among Protestants:

• Calvinists;
• Baptists;
• Pentecostals;
• Adventists;
• Lutherans and others.

Protestant churches cannot be classified as sectarianism. A sect is a closed group of people united by their religious beliefs, where freedom of personal opinion is limited. Sect members cannot freely enter a sect and voluntarily leave it. Protestant churches are open to all people; there is no restriction on moving from one denomination to another when changing beliefs.

What is baptism

Less than a hundred years later, John Smith in 1609 created a new movement of Christians, which was based on the baptism of people at an age when they understand the sacrifice of Christ and are ready to take responsibility for their sins.

On a note! Baptists got their name from the Greek word "baptizo" - immersion in water with one's head. This rite of baptism, which occurs on a voluntary basis, symbolizes the death of Jesus.

Just as the Savior died on the cross and was buried before the resurrection, newly converted believers die for the world and are resurrected for Christ, therefore it is possible to accept the Savior’s sacrifice only at a conscious age.

Water baptism among Protestants

This was the reason why Baptists abandoned infant baptism. Babies are brought to church and presented before God, asking in prayer for the blessing, protection and mercy of the Creator over the child and parents.

Basic Principles of Baptistism

Differences between Baptists and Orthodoxy

Orthodoxy and Baptism are two movements in Christianity that arose from the same root, but have many differences in rituals and observance of the canons.

What do Orthodoxy and Baptists have in common?

Should Orthodox Christians Fear Baptists?

You should be afraid of an enemy who has evil plans against you, but why be afraid of a brother who thinks a little differently from you. Another movement, which preaches the same principles of Christianity, but only with different rituals and ceremonies, cannot harm the time of a churchgoer.

“The great spiritual and political revolution of our planet is Christianity. In this sacred element the world disappeared and was renewed.” “The Greek religion, separate from all others, gives us a special national character.” “Russia has never had anything in common with the rest of Europe,” “its history requires a different thought, a different formula”...

And now, when our generations are experiencing a great state, economic, moral and spiritual-creative failure in the history of Russia and when we see everywhere its enemies (religious and political) preparing a campaign against its identity and integrity, we must firmly and precisely say: Do we value our Russian identity and are we ready to defend it? And further: what is this originality, what are its foundations and what are the attacks on it that we must foresee?

The identity of the Russian people is expressed in its special and unique spiritual act. By “act” we must understand the internal structure and way of life of a person: his way of feeling, contemplating, thinking, desiring and acting. Each of the Russians, having gone abroad, had, and still has, every opportunity to be convinced by experience that other peoples have a different everyday and spiritual way of life from us; we experience this at every step and have difficulty getting used to it; sometimes we see their superiority, sometimes we acutely feel their dissatisfaction, but we always experience their foreignness and begin to yearn and yearn for their “homeland.” This is explained by the uniqueness of our everyday and spiritual way of life, or, to put it in the shortest possible way, we have a different act.

The Russian national act was formed under the influence of four great factors: nature (continentality, plain, climate, soil), the Slavic soul, a special faith and historical development (statehood, wars, territorial dimensions, multinationality, economy, education, technology, culture). It is impossible to cover all of this at once. There are books about this, some precious ones (N. Gogol “What, finally, is the essence of Russian poetry”; N. Danilevsky “Russia and Europe”; I. Zabelin “The History of Russian Life”; F. Dostoevsky “The Diary of a Writer”; V. Klyuchevsky “Essays and Speeches”), then stillborn (P. Chaadaev “Philosophical Letters”; P. Milyukov “Essays on the History of Russian Culture”). In understanding and interpreting these factors and the Russian creative act itself, it is important to remain objective and fair, without turning into either a fanatical “Slavophile” or a “Westerner” blind to Russia. And this is especially important in the main question that we are posing here - about Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

Among the enemies of Russia, who do not accept its entire culture and condemn its entire history, Roman Catholics occupy a very special place. They proceed from the fact that there is “good” and “truth” in the world only where the Catholic Church “leads” and where people unquestioningly recognize the authority of the Bishop of Rome. Everything else is (so they understand) on the wrong path, in darkness or heresy and must sooner or later be converted to their faith. This constitutes not only the “directive” of Catholicism, but the self-evident basis or premise of all its doctrines, books, opinions, organizations, decisions and actions. What is not Catholic in the world must disappear: either as a result of propaganda and conversion, or through the destruction of God.

How many times in recent years have Catholic prelates begun to explain to me personally that “The Lord is sweeping out the Orthodox East with an iron broom so that a united Catholic Church may reign”... How many times have I shuddered at the bitterness with which their speeches breathed and their eyes sparkled. And listening to these speeches, I began to understand how Prelate Michel d’Herbigny, the head of Eastern Catholic propaganda, could travel to Moscow twice (in 1926 and 1928) to establish a union with the “Renovationist Church” and, accordingly, the “concordat” “with the Bolsheviks, and how could he, returning from there, reprint without reservation the vile articles of the communists, calling the martyr, Orthodox, patriarchal Church (literally) “syphilitic” and “depraved.” And I realized then that the “concordat” of the Vatican with the Third. The International has not yet been realized not because the Vatican “rejected” and “condemned” such an agreement, but because the Communists themselves did not want it. I understood the destruction of Orthodox cathedrals, churches and parishes in Poland, carried out by Catholics in the thirties of the current (twenties. - Ed.) century... I finally understood the true meaning of the Catholic “prayers for the salvation of Russia”: both the original, short one, and the one that was compiled in 1926 by Pope Benedict XV and for the reading of which they are granted (by announcement) “three hundred days of indulgence”...

And now, when we see how the Vatican has been preparing for years for a campaign against Russia, carrying out a massive purchase of Russian religious literature, Orthodox icons and entire iconostases, mass preparation of the Catholic clergy for simulating Orthodox worship in Russian (“Eastern Rite Catholicism”), a close study Orthodox thought and soul for the sake of proving their historical inconsistency - we all, Russian people, must pose the question of what is the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, and try to answer this question for ourselves with all objectivity, directness and historical fidelity.

This is a dogmatic, church-organizational, ritual, missionary, political, moral and legislative difference. The last difference is vitally original: it provides the key to understanding all the others.

The dogmatic difference is known to every Orthodox Christian: firstly, contrary to the decrees of the Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople,381) and the Third Ecumenical Council (Ephesus, 431, Canon 7), Catholics introduced into the 8th article of the Creed the addition of the procession of the Holy Spirit not only from the Father, but also from the Son (“filioque”); secondly, in the 19th century, this was joined by a new Catholic dogma that the Virgin Mary was conceived immaculate (“de immaculata conceptione”); thirdly, in 1870, a new dogma was established on the infallibility of the Pope in the affairs of the Church and doctrine (“ex catedra”); fourthly, in 1950 another dogma was established about the posthumous bodily ascension of the Virgin Mary. These dogmas are not recognized by the Orthodox Church. These are the most important dogmatic differences.

The church-organizational difference lies in the fact that Catholics recognize the Roman high priest as the head of the Church and the deputy of Christ on earth, while the Orthodox recognize the single head of the Church - Jesus Christ and consider it only correct that the Church be built by the Ecumenical and Local Councils. Orthodoxy also does not recognize the temporal power of bishops and does not honor Catholic order organizations (especially the Jesuits). These are the most important differences.

The ritual differences are as follows. Orthodoxy does not recognize services in Latin; it observes the liturgies compiled by Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, and does not recognize Western models; it observes the communion bequeathed by the Savior under the guise of bread and wine and rejects the “communion” introduced by Catholics for the laity with only “blessed wafers”; it recognizes icons, but does not allow sculptural images in temples; it elevates confession to the invisibly present Christ and denies the confessional as an organ of earthly power in the hands of the priest. Orthodoxy has created a completely different culture of church singing, prayer and ringing; he has a different vestment; he has a different sign of the cross; a different arrangement of the altar; it knows kneeling, but rejects the Catholic "squatting"; it does not know the jingling bell during perfect prayers and much more. These are the most important ritual differences.

The missionary differences are as follows. Orthodoxy recognizes freedom of confession and rejects the entire spirit of the Inquisition; extermination of heretics, torture, bonfires and forced baptism (Charlemagne). When converting, it observes the purity of religious contemplation and its freedom from all extraneous motives, especially from intimidation, political calculation and material assistance (“charity”); it does not consider that earthly help to a brother in Christ proves the “belief” of the benefactor. It, in the words of Gregory the Theologian, seeks “not to conquer, but to gain brothers” in faith. It does not seek power on earth at any cost. These are the most important missionary differences.

The political differences are as follows. The Orthodox Church has never claimed either secular dominance or the struggle for state power in the form of a political party. The original Russian Orthodox resolution of the issue is this: the Church and the state have special and different tasks, but help each other in the struggle for the good; the state rules, but does not command the Church and does not engage in forced missionary activities; The Church organizes its work freely and independently, observes secular loyalty, but judges everything by its Christian standard and gives good advice, and perhaps even reproof to the rulers and good teaching to the laity (remember Metropolitan Philip and Patriarch Tikhon). Her weapon is not the sword, not party politics and not order intrigue, but conscience, instruction, reproof and excommunication. Byzantine and post-Petrine deviations from this order were unhealthy phenomena.

Catholicism, on the contrary, always seeks in everything and in all ways - power (secular, clerical, property and personally suggestive).

The moral difference is this. Orthodoxy appeals to the free human heart. Catholicism appeals to a blindly submissive will. Orthodoxy seeks to awaken in man living, creative love and Christian conscience. Catholicism requires obedience and compliance with precepts (legalism). Orthodoxy asks for the best and calls for evangelical perfection. Catholicism asks about what is “prescribed,” “forbidden,” “allowed,” “forgivable,” and “unforgivable.” Orthodoxy goes deep into the soul, seeking sincere faith and sincere kindness. Catholicism disciplines the outer man, seeks outward piety and is satisfied with the formal appearance of doing good.

And all this is closely connected with the initial and deepest actual difference, which must be thought through to the end, and, moreover, once and for all.

Confession differs from confession in its basic religious act and its structure. It is important not only what you believe in, but also what, that is, by what forces of the soul, your faith is carried out. Since Christ the Savior established faith on living love (see Mark 12:30-33; Luke 10:27; cf. 1 John 4:7-8, 16), we know where to look for faith and how find her. This is the most important thing for understanding not only your own faith, but especially the faith of others and the entire history of religion. This is how we must understand both Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

There are religions that are born out of fear and feed on fear; Thus, most African blacks are primarily afraid of darkness and night, evil spirits, witchcraft, and death. It is in the struggle against this fear and in exploiting it in others that their religion is formed.

There are religions that are born out of lust; and feed on eroticism, taken as “inspiration”; such is the religion of Dionysus-Bacchus; this is the “left hand Saivism” in India; Such is Russian Khlystyism.

There are religions that live by fantasy and imagination; their supporters are content with mythical legends and chimeras, poetry, sacrifices and rituals, neglecting love, will and thought. This is Indian Brahmanism.

Buddhism was created as a religion of life-denial and asceticism. Confucianism arose as a religion of historically hard-won and sincerely felt moral doctrine. The religious act of Egypt was dedicated to overcoming death. The Jewish religion sought first of all national self-affirmation on earth, putting forward henotheism (the god of national exclusivity) and moral legalism. The Greeks created a religion of family hearth and visible beauty. The Romans are a religion of magical rites. What about Christians?

Orthodoxy and Catholicism equally place their faith in Christ, the Son of God, and in the gospel. And yet their religious acts are not only different, but also incompatible in their opposites. This is precisely what determines all the differences that I pointed out in the previous article (“On Russian nationalism.” - Ed.).

The primary and fundamental awakening of faith for the Orthodox is a movement of the heart, contemplating love, which sees the Son of God in all His goodness, in all His perfection and spiritual power, bows and accepts Him as the real truth of God, as its main life treasure. In the light of this perfection, the Orthodox recognizes his sinfulness, strengthens and cleanses his conscience with it, and embarks on the path of repentance and purification.

On the contrary, for a Catholic, “faith” awakens from a volitional decision: to trust such and such (Catholic-Church) authority, to submit and submit to it and force oneself to accept everything that this authority decides and prescribes, including the question of good and evil, sin and its admissibility.

Why does an Orthodox soul come to life from free tenderness, from kindness, from heartfelt joy - and then it blooms with faith and the voluntary deeds corresponding to it. Here the gospel of Christ evokes sincere love for God, and free love awakens Christian will and conscience in the soul.

On the contrary, a Catholic, through constant efforts of will, forces himself to the faith that his authority prescribes to him.

However, in reality, only external bodily movements are completely subordinated to the will; conscious thought is subordinated to a much lesser extent; even less is the life of imagination and everyday feelings (emotions and affects). Neither love, nor faith, nor conscience are subordinate to the will and may not respond at all to its “compulsions.” You can force yourself to stand and bow, but it is impossible to force yourself to reverence, prayer, love and thanksgiving. Only external “piety” obeys the will, and it is nothing more than an external appearance or simply a pretense. You can force yourself to make a property “donation”; but the gift of love, compassion, mercy is not forced either by will or authority. Thought and imagination follow love - both earthly and spiritual - by themselves, naturally and willingly, but the will can fight over them all their lives and not subordinate them to its pressure. From an open and loving heart, conscience, like the voice of God, will speak independently and powerfully. But discipline of the will does not lead to conscience, and submission to external authority completely drowns out personal conscience.

This is how this opposition and irreconcilability of two confessions unfolds, and we, Russian people, need to think it through to the end.

Anyone who builds a religion on will and obedience to authority will inevitably have to limit faith to mental and verbal “confession,” leaving the heart cold and callous, replacing living love with legalism and discipline, and Christian kindness with “commendable” but dead deeds . And his prayer itself will turn into soulless words and insincere body movements. Anyone who knows the religion of ancient pagan Rome will immediately recognize its tradition in all this. It is precisely these features of Catholic religiosity that the Russian soul has always experienced as alien, strange, artificially strained and insincere. And when we hear from Orthodox people that in Catholic worship there is external solemnity, sometimes brought to the point of grandeur and “beauty,” but there is no sincerity and warmth, no humility and burning, no real prayer, and therefore spiritual beauty, then we know where to look for an explanation for this.

This opposition between the two confessions is revealed in everything. Thus, the first task of an Orthodox missionary is to give people the Holy Gospel and worship in their language and in full text; Catholics adhere to the Latin language, incomprehensible to most peoples, and prohibit believers from reading the Bible independently. The Orthodox soul seeks direct approach to Christ in everything: from inner solitary prayer to communion of the Holy Mysteries. A Catholic dares to think and feel about Christ only what the authoritative mediator standing between him and God allows him to do, and in communion itself he remains deprived and deranged, not accepting transubstantiated wine and receiving, instead of transubstantiated bread, some kind of “wafer” that replaces it.

Further, if faith depends on the will and decision, then, obviously, an unbeliever does not believe because he does not want to believe, and a heretic is a heretic because he decided to believe in his own way; and the “witch” serves the devil because she is possessed by an evil will. It is natural that they are all criminals against the Law of God and that they must be punished. Hence the Inquisition and all those cruel deeds that filled the medieval history of Catholic Europe: crusades against heretics, bonfires, torture, extermination of entire cities (for example, the city of Steding in Germany in 1234); in 1568, all residents of the Netherlands, except those named by name, were sentenced to death as heretics.

In Spain, the Inquisition finally disappeared only in 1834. The rationale for these executions is clear: an unbeliever is someone who does not want to believe, he is a villain and a criminal in the face of God, Gehenna awaits him; and now the short-term fire of an earthly fire is better than the eternal fire of hell. Naturally, people who have forced faith from their own will try to force it from others and see in unbelief or heterodoxy not delusion, not misfortune, not blindness, not spiritual poverty, but evil will.

On the contrary, the Orthodox priest follows the Apostle Paul: not to strive to “take power over the will of others,” but to “promote joy” in the hearts of people (see 2 Cor. 1:24) and firmly remember the covenant of Christ about the “tares” that are not subject to premature weeding (see Matthew 13:25-36). He recognizes the guiding wisdom of Athanasius the Great and Gregory the Theologian: “What is done by force against desire is not only forced, not free and not glorious, but simply did not even happen” (Sermon 2, 15). Hence the instruction of Metropolitan Macarius, given by him in 1555 to the first Kazan Archbishop Gury: “By all sorts of customs, as possible, accustom the Tatars to yourself and bring them to baptism with love, but do not lead them to baptism through fear.” From time immemorial, the Orthodox Church has believed in freedom of faith, in its independence from earthly interests and calculations, in its sincerity of heart. Hence the words of Cyril of Jerusalem: “Simon the sorcerer washed his body with water in the font, but did not enlighten his heart in spirit, and came and went in body, but was not buried in soul and did not rise.”

Further, the will of earthly man seeks power. And the Church, which builds faith on freedom, will certainly seek power. This is how it was with the Mohammedans; This has been the case with Catholics throughout their history. They always sought power in the world, as if the Kingdom of God were of this world - all power: independent temporal power for the pope and cardinals, as well as power over kings and emperors (remember the Middle Ages); power over souls and especially over the will of their followers (the confessional as a tool); party power in a modern “democratic” state; secret order power, totalitarian-cultural power over everything and in all matters (Jesuits). They consider power a tool for establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. And this idea has always been alien to both the Gospel teaching and the Orthodox Church.

Power on earth requires cunning, compromise, cunning, pretense, lies, deceit, intrigue and betrayal, and often crime. Hence the doctrine that the end resolves the means. In vain do opponents present this teaching of the Jesuits as if the end “justifies” or “sanctifies” evil means; by doing this they only make it easier for the Jesuits to object and rebut. Here we are not talking about “righteousness” or “holiness” at all, but either about church permission - about permissibility or about moral “good quality”. It is in this regard that the most prominent Jesuit fathers, such as Escobar a Mendoza, Sot, Tolet, Vascotz, Lessius, Sanketz and some others, claim that “actions are done good or bad depending on the good or bad goal.” . However, a person’s goal is known only to him alone; it is a personal matter, secret and easy to simulate. Closely connected with this is the Catholic teaching about the permissibility and even non-sinfulness of lies and deception: you just need to interpret the spoken words to yourself “otherwise”, or use an ambiguous expression, or silently limit the scope of what is said, or remain silent about the truth - then the lie is not a lie, and deception is not deception, and a false oath in court is not sinful (for this see the Jesuits Lehmkuhl, Suarez, Busenbaum, Lyman, Sanketz, Alagona, Lessius, Escobar and others).

But the Jesuits also have another teaching that finally frees the hands of their order and their church leaders. This is the doctrine of evil deeds allegedly committed “at the command of God.” Thus, from the Jesuit Peter Alagona (also from Busenbaum) we read: “By the command of God, you can kill the innocent, steal, commit debauchery, for He is the Lord of life and death and therefore you must fulfill His command.” It goes without saying that the existence of such a monstrous and impossible “command” of God is decided by Catholic ecclesiastical authority, obedience to which is the very essence of the Catholic faith.

Anyone who, having thought through these features of Catholicism, turns to the Orthodox Church, will see and understand once and for all that the deepest traditions of both confessions are opposite and incompatible. Moreover, he will also understand that the entire Russian culture was formed, strengthened and flourished in the spirit of Orthodoxy and became what it was at the beginning of the 20th century, primarily because it was not Catholic. The Russian person believed and believes with love, prays with his heart, reads the Gospel freely; and the authority of the Church helps him in his freedom and teaches him freedom, opening him the spiritual eye, and not frightening him with earthly executions in order to “avoid” the otherworldly. Russian charity and the “love of poverty” of the Russian tsars always came from the heart and kindness. Russian art has entirely grown out of free heartfelt contemplation: the soaring of Russian poetry, and the dreams of Russian prose, and the depth of Russian painting, and the sincere lyricism of Russian music, and the expressiveness of Russian sculpture, and the spirituality of Russian architecture, and the feeling of Russian theater. The spirit of Christian love also penetrated into Russian medicine with its spirit of service, selflessness, intuitive-holistic diagnosis, individualization of the patient, brotherly attitude towards the suffering; and into Russian jurisprudence with its search for justice; and into Russian mathematics with its subject-matter contemplation. He created the traditions of Solovyov, Klyuchevsky and Zabelin in Russian historiography. He created the tradition of Suvorov in the Russian army, and the tradition of Ushinsky and Pirogov in the Russian school. One must see with one’s heart the deep connection that connects Russian Orthodox saints and elders with the way of life of the Russian, common people and educated soul. The entire Russian way of life is different and special, because the Slavic soul strengthened its heart in the precepts of Orthodoxy. And most Russian heterodox confessions (with the exception of Catholicism) received the rays of this freedom, simplicity, cordiality and sincerity.

Let us also remember that our white movement, with all its state loyalty, with its patriotic fervor and sacrifice, arose from free and faithful hearts and is supported by them to this day. A living conscience, sincere prayer and personal “volunteerism” belong to the best gifts of Orthodoxy, and we have not the slightest reason to replace these gifts with the traditions of Catholicism.

Hence our attitude towards “Catholicism of the Eastern Rite”, which is now being prepared in the Vatican and in many Catholic monasteries. The very idea - to subjugate the soul of the Russian people through a feigned imitation of their worship and to introduce Catholicism in Russia with this deceptive operation - we experience as religiously false, godless and immoral. So in war, ships sail under a foreign flag. This is how contraband is smuggled across the border. So in Shakespeare's Hamlet, the brother pours deadly poison into the ear of his brother the king while he sleeps.

And if anyone needed proof that Catholicism exists and in what ways it seizes power on earth, then this last enterprise makes all other proofs superfluous.

03 / 08 / 2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Common features of Catholicism and Orthodoxy

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

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

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

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

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

Orthodox and Catholics: what is the difference

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

Let's sum it up

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

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