Differences Between Catholic and Orthodox

Catholics and Orthodox Christians are all Christians, so they believe in the same Lord and the Bible. However, there are some differences between the two religions. The schism of 1054, which marked the break between the Eastern and Western Churches, led to the separation of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. At that time, many differences between the two religions emerged. These differences are evident in several areas: religious rites, behavior, and a number of beliefs.

If Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe in one God and use the same Bible, why are there differences in their worship and hierarchy? What are the main reasons why the two churches separated? Why did they develop different traditions?

To understand everything, we need to go back centuries. In order to dispel false information about the separation of these two religions, we have decided to reveal the truth about the subject.

In this article, we will discuss:

• The significant history of the Catholic and Orthodox religions
• The differences in dogma between the two religions
• What about the Immaculate Conception?
• The difference between the Catholic cross and the Orthodox cross
• Theological differences that persist between the two denominations
• Various traditions and the celebration of Easter

If you would like to learn more about the difference between the Catholic and Orthodox religions, here is an article with more information:

• The Schism of 1054: causes of the separation between East and West

And if you would like to know the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism, here is another article to discover below:

• Difference between Catholicism and Protestantism

The history of Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity

Long before the split, major disputes had already begun, leading to a rift between the Eastern and Western churches within Christianity. There were many factors behind this event, but they were mainly political, such as the Norman invasion of Byzantine possessions, and socio-cultural, such as the aspiration of the papacy to control the political branch. However, these differences were less significant than the theological conflicts. A first split occurred on July 16, 1054, between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople, when Cardinal Humbert of Moyenmoutier placed a bull excommunicating Patriarch Michael I Cerularius and his close associates on the altar of the Hagia Sophia. The patriarch responded by excommunicating Cardinal Humbert, the legate of the recently deceased pope.

During 1054, the orthodoxy of the seven councils was adopted by four of the five patriarchates of the undivided Church, including Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople. The only patriarchate to remain separate was Rome, and this is known as the Great Schism of the East. In 1204, Constantinople was captured by the Crusaders. Subsequently, the constitution of the Latin patriarchates in the Greek milieu broke down. This led to the exile of several Orthodox bishops. It was not until the end of 1965 that Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople lifted the excommunication against Cardinal Humber de Moyenmoutier. At the same time, Pope Paul VI lifted the excommunication against Patriarch Michael I Cerularius.

Hierarchy

Catholics and Orthodox Christians use the same hierarchy with three main categories: deacons, priests, and bishops. The main difference in the hierarchy concerns the status of the Roman Catholic Pope. Early in Christian history, the bishop of Rome held a position of honor because of the historical importance of the city of Rome. On the other hand, the Orthodox recognize the Pope but reject his supremacy over the Church in general, based on the concept that no one is infallible in religious matters. During the 2nd millennium, the Roman Catholic Church developed a centralized idea of spiritual authority and power. But the Orthodox Church has always retained a large degree of independence. In fact, the latter is made up of a number of autonomous churches. For example, the Patriarch of Constantinople has no direct authority over the other patriarchs.

Differences in dogma between the two religions

The dogmatic elements concern various essential points:

The Holy Spirit and the position of the Pope

The difference concerning the idea of the Holy Spirit is probably the most important of all. It is a question of ecclesiology. The Orthodox believe in the monarchy of the Father as the sole source of divinity. According to them, the Holy Spirit and the Son of God come only from the Father. Catholics, on the other hand, consider that the Holy Spirit is “proceeded” from the Father and the Son. It is therefore a “proceeding” of two beings as one principle.

Then there is the primacy and infallibility of the Pope. This is the other main cause of the schism. It concerns the popes' desire to transform moral primacy into direct legal power over the churches. From the 11th century onwards, the Gregorian Reform attempted to bring bishops and kings directly under the pope's authority and claimed that the sovereign pontiff was infallible. The Orthodox consider the pope to be the patriarch of Rome.

They recognize him as having primacy of honor, but not as the head of the Church. For them, the position of head is reserved for Jesus Christ. The dogma of papal infallibility defined by the First Vatican Council in 1870 is also rejected by the Orthodox. According to them, the Church's mode of government is based on the bishop, the assembly of bishops, and the ecumenical council. Moreover, they have established a decentralized organization and collegial decision-making. For Catholics, all authority comes from the Pope.

What about the sacraments and the last ends?

Catholics believe in the indissolubility of marriage. They defend the adage “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder!” For the Orthodox, infidelity renders marriage null and void. They do not divorce in the strict sense, but if the sacrament has been performed, the marriage can be broken due to infidelity. Regarding the Eucharist, Orthodox Christians believe in the real presence and think that it is a consubstantiation, because they do not reason in terms of objects. They also believe that it is not the words of institution that prove the real presence, but the epiclesis performed in community. On the other hand, they assert that the Roman Mass does not include epiclesis. In other words, Orthodox Christians believe that it is the Holy Spirit who makes Christ bodily present during worship. As for ordination, married men can be ordained, but if they become widowed, they are no longer allowed to remarry. The age for baptism and confirmation varies between the Catholic and Orthodox religions.

With regard to the last things (the dead), Catholics believe in purgatory. They also believe that after death there is a final personal judgment. Orthodox Christians, on the other hand, do not believe in purgatory. However, they believe that the prayers of the Church can bring people out of hell, as long as the Last Judgment has not yet come.

What about the Immaculate Conception?

Orthodox Christians consider Mary to be Theotokos, representing all of humanity. They have not established a dogma concerning the end of the Virgin Mary's life and do not recognize the Assumption.

Orthodoxy does not recognize the Immaculate Conception. This dogma arose after the schism, and for the Orthodox, the Immaculate Conception contravenes the universal characteristic of her vocation.

To be more precise, the term Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of the mother of God and not that of Jesus Christ. There is no question of virginal conception, as Mary is the fruit of the union of two human spouses. Both Catholics and Orthodox Christians accept that Mary is Immaculate, as she conceived and gave birth to the Son of God, and that this is truly a special grace from the Holy Spirit. The difference lies in this grace. For Catholics, Mary benefited from this grace from the moment of her birth, hence the concept of the Immaculate Conception. But for the Orthodox, she only obtained this grace when she said “Yes” to giving birth to the Son of God.

Western churches have experienced terrible theological controversies related to Mary because of the dogma of original sin. In the East, however, the Orthodox represent the whole of humanity bearing God. We can add that Catholics accept Joseph's virginity, while the Orthodox believe that he was married to another woman before becoming Mary's husband. After becoming a widower, he remarried without ever having a physical relationship with her. From this perspective, Mary is a virgin, but Joseph is not. However, both churches consider Joseph to be a saint. In fact, the two religions shared the same saints from the early centuries until 1054.

The difference between the Catholic cross and the Orthodox cross ✝️ ☦️

A difference visible to the naked eye when we look at the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church is the cross representing the crucifix of Christ. The symbol of the Catholic cross is represented by a vertical bar and a second bar positioned horizontally, forming a T-shaped cross.

The Orthodox cross is different because instead of two bars, it has four. Looking at the Orthodox cross, you will notice a vertical bar and a second horizontal bar, like the Catholic cross. What differentiates them are the two additional bars that the Orthodox have added: a bar above the bar where Christ's hands were nailed, representing the bar where Jesus' name was written. It was written: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” (John 19:19). In Latin, this becomes: “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum,” which is simply shortened to “INRI.”

The lower beam of the Orthodox cross is the footrest on which the feet of Jesus Christ were nailed. The slanted bar is a symbol reminding us of the two thieves crucified alongside Jesus. One of them, on Jesus' right, ascended to heaven, while the other descended into hell. The lower bar of the Orthodox cross is a comparison to the scales of justice and shows the way to Hell and Heaven. Another interesting fact is that an Orthodox church cross can be used as a compass, as the upper point of the slanted beam always points north.

Theological differences that persist between the two denominations

For the past 50 years, dialogue has been taking place between Catholics and Orthodox Christians. They are now making progress thanks to the work of the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, established in 1980. Numerous joint statements have been produced, the first of which was in Munich in July 1982. Today, there are few fundamental differences between the two denominations. A professor of theology at the Orthodox Institute of Saint Sergius and member of the Joint Committee for Catholic-Orthodox Theological Dialogue in France states that "the main point of contention between Catholics and Orthodox Christians is ecclesiological. “ The Filioque is no longer a cause for division since it has become possible to recite two forms of the creed during a Catholic Mass. Recognized only by Catholics, the conflict over the dogma of the Immaculate Conception is described as ”a relatively peripheral issue."

For some historians, the ecclesiological difference refers to the two concepts of power established in the Middle Ages: the Roman Catholic Church became increasingly centralized, while the Orthodox Church organized itself into patriarchates. From this, two visions of communion can be distinguished: a communion in difference in the East and an apostolic communion in the West, based on Roman filiation with the apostle Peter. Michel Stavrou, a theologian, admits that between the two Churches, there is a noticeable search for a balance between conciliarity and primacy. He continues to believe that the Catholic Church has functioned vertically for a long time and that this functionality was crowned by the proclamation of the dogma of papal infallibility in the 1870s. The Orthodox Church, on the other hand, has developed the habit of meeting in synod to make decisions. According to Michel Savrou, these are two fairly complementary churches.

Different beliefs

The beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church are meticulously compiled in the Catechism, which is not the case for the Orthodox Church. However, both religions respect the decisions made by the first seven ecumenical councils, which brought together the leaders of the Church on key principles such as:

• The Trinity: The Creator is one in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father refers to the Creator in heaven, Jesus Christ symbolizes God on earth, and the Holy Spirit marks the omnipresence of God. Catholics and Orthodox Christians nevertheless disagree on how the Holy Spirit circulates within the Trinity. For Orthodox Christians, it is from the Father through the Son, while for Catholics, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
  
• Jesus Christ is both human and divine for both religions.
  
• The special status of Mary. As we have seen above, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in Catholicism is not recognized as such in Orthodox Christianity. However, the divine motherhood of the all-pure Virgin Mary is still upheld.
  

Various traditions and the celebration of Easter

The richness of the spiritual practices of the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church is exceptional. These two religions have the same sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Marriage.

Regarding the difference between the sign of the cross in the two religions, we have written an article on this subject, which we invite you to discover by clicking on the blue link.

When Catholics pray, they stand or kneel during Mass. Orthodox Christians either remain standing or sit down. The Popes who lead Mass chant but do not speak.

Catholics eat the host or unleavened bread, while Orthodox Christians eat bread made with yeast. While Catholics have statues and paintings depicting saints, Orthodox Christians maintain their iconographic tradition and do not focus on the image of Jesus Christ bleeding on the cross. Among Orthodox Christians, baptism is performed by immersion. Orthodox priests and popes can marry and have children. However, the Catholic Church imposes celibacy and prohibits the marriage of priests and nuns.

Finally, the Catholic Church has used the Gregorian calendar since 1582. Pope Gregory XIII introduced it in the 15^th century. Orthodox Christians choose to continue using the Julian calendar, a solar calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. However, this does not prevent Orthodox churches from gradually adopting the Gregorian calendar. This is why some holidays coincide, except for Easter, which is still calculated according to the old calendar. There can be a five-week difference between the date of Easter for Catholics and Orthodox Christians. It should be noted that these two churches have different interpretations of the meaning of Easter. Catholics believe that the crucifixion of Jesus saved mankind and that Jesus Christ washed away our sins. Orthodox Christians believe that salvation is achieved through Jesus Christ's triumph over death in the Resurrection.

In conclusion, in the practice of faith, the differences may seem significant, but Catholics and Orthodox Christians remain quite similar. Moreover, numerous attempts have been made to reunite these two churches over the centuries, and these efforts continue to this day. If you would like to share this detailed article on the difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, please feel free to share it with your friends and family.

Many people cannot tell the difference between a cross and a crucifix. If you would like to know the difference between these two pieces of jewelry, click here to read this incredible article we have written for you.