Orthodoxy and Catholicism: similarities and differences between the two faiths. History of Catholicism What is Catholicism definition

CATHOLICISM

CATHOLICISM

discovered in the public consciousness since the emergence of Protestantism, a special Western European and Middle Eastern church, which developed from the first centuries of the new era and has survived to this day. In Western countries this character was clearly expressed by the popes and the Council of Trent (1545-1563). The concept of Catholic appears ca. 150 after R. X. and testifies to the fact that, in other interpretations of Christianity, “everywhere” (Greek katholu) the traditions emanating from the apostles are distributed and must be recognized. The classic formulation of this view calls “Catholic” “quod ubique, quod semper, quod ad omnibus creditum est” (Latin: “what is recognized everywhere, always and by everyone”). Therefore Catholicism stands close to natural religion and omnium. Despite this, it has long been opposed heresies(deviation from basic teachings), heterodoxy (deviation from certain teachings) and schism (division of the church). The philosophy of Catholicism, Philosophia perennis, develops neo-scholasticism and neo-Thomism. Catholic, cue (from the Greek katholikos - universal, all-encompassing) - related to the Roman Catholic. churches.

Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. 2010 .

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CATHOLICISM

(from the Greek καϑολικός - universal, main, universal) - one of three chapters. directions in Christianity along with Orthodoxy and Protestantism. K. arose and developed under the conditions of the formation of feudalism in the West. Europe, as opposed to Orthodoxy, which was developed by the Eastern, Byzantine Church. The division of Christianity into Western (Catholicism) and Eastern (Orthodox) directions ended with the division of churches in 1054. Christianity is characteristic of religions. intolerance, the pretension to regard all non-Catholics as heretics, errants or schismatics, but Catholics. the church as the only true one. Social-dogmatic. The basis of K. is the hierocracy (clergy), covered by the doctrine of theocracy (lit. - divine power), which is contradictory in combination with the idea of ​​Christ. asceticism. The special idea of ​​theocracy is reflected by the fact that the main thing in K.’s activities throughout its history has always been politics. tasks, no matter what specific forms in various historical. conditions they did not accept. They have always defined themselves as religions. Catholic side creed, its dogma and cult. Among these tasks, the first one has always been and remains to this day the defense of the special role of papal power and the privilege of the clergy.

As a literary and theoretical K.'s basis is Augustine's concept of the "City of God" and the transformation of the militant church into the triumphant church. The idea of ​​asceticism, addressed to the masses of believers and instilling in them disdain for everything worldly, has played a role in reactionary thinking for centuries. role and is an effective weapon for the spiritual enslavement of the masses. Of the two main types of Christian sources doctrines - Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition - K. actually devotes the first to tradition. At the same time, K. attaches paramount importance to the decisions and judgments of the popes. Socio-political The priority of “tradition” is that thanks to it, K. received interpretations of the dogmas of early Christianity in accordance with the interests of the domination. class, change them depending on the changing socio-historical. conditions.

The peculiarity of K. is also manifested in the requirement of unquestioning adherence to the Church. discipline, which is justified by the doctrine of the only saving power of the church, which consists in the fact that since everything is “sinful by nature,” souls can only be provided by the church, outside of which there is no salvation. In the same connection, K. developed the doctrine of the role of divine predestination and free will, according to which he can find the path to salvation only thanks to the church and with its help. The social meaning of this teaching of K. is in the desire to strengthen the direct destiny of the laity from the clergy, to strengthen the special grace that the clergy is supposedly endowed with, thanks to which they should enjoy special social privileges. In this regard, K. fiercely fights against the Christianity professed by some. directions (see Heresies, Calvinism) with the idea of ​​abs. predestination to salvation or destruction, derived from the concept of deities, omniscience and thereby reducing the role of the clergy, creating ideas about a direct connection between the believer and the deities. forces. Giving will exclude. significance of the statement about the only saving role of the church, K. declares even the idea of ​​a possible end on earth to be a heresy. victory of good, because in this case, the meaning of the continued existence of the church would disappear.

Basic social-dogmatic K.'s provisions were developed by the dominant movement of the Middle Ages. philosophy, which tried to make K. dogmatics the starting point and basis of all thinking and bring all sciences “... into conformity with the teachings of the church” (F. Engels, see K. Marx and F. Engels, Works, 2nd ed., vol. 21, p. 495). In the fight against advanced rationalists. and materialistic ideas of religious-scholastic. K. falsified the teachings of Aristotle, trying to adapt it to the defense of K. and feud. building. A special role in fulfilling this task was played by Thomas Aquinas, who tried in his writings to create a comprehensive system of Catholicism. philosophy, also covering problems of government, economics, law and morality. It was this teaching (see Thomism) that was declared by Pope Leo XIII to be the only true philosophy of Q.

K. portrays the entire history of mankind as a struggle for the victory of the church, which practically means a struggle for the triumph of papal policy, since K. identifies the church and the papacy, portraying the pope as the successor and vicar of the Apostle Peter. In addition to the recognized general Christian dogmas of faith, K. establishes new ones, which he declares to be equally obligatory for every believer. Chief among them: the dogma of purgatory, associated with the doctrine of indulgences, papal infallibility, etc. K. attaches special importance to the external, ritual side of the cult: prayer, attending mass, confession, etc. All services are conducted in armor, which is incomprehensible to the masses of believers. language. Sacraments and rituals are declared to be valid automatically by virtue of the very observance of the established rules. form, regardless of the spiritual aspirations of the one in relation to whom this cult ceremony is performed.

An important feature of K. is the inherent clergy as especially privileged. society group, an important support of domination. class. This special privilege of the clergy, recognized in the Middle Ages as the first estate, was consolidated by the teaching of the church about the grace granted to the clergy by the sacrament of initiation. For centuries, the clergy played the role of an estate that monopolized the leadership of the spiritual life of the feud. society. K. attaches a special role to papal power. During the papacy’s struggle for dominance, it made claims to the world, both secular and spiritual (under Gregory VII, Innocent III, Boniface VIII), but due to the emergence of centralized states, it was defeated, temporarily turning into royal power in France (1309–77), and then came to the deepest crisis of the 15th century. and will rule out his collapse. provisions since the Reformation. Nevertheless, the papacy continued to fight for its primacy role even in the new conditions of the growth of capitalism. To fight the Reformation and people. movements of K., created the Jesuit Order in 1540. During the intensification of class struggle and polarization of societies. classes, papacy and cosmos became an increasingly necessary support for the reaction. forces of the bourgeoisie and from the end of the 19th century. become important ideologically. weapon of armies. imperialism. This new role of K. became clear in 1870, when the dogma of papal infallibility was proclaimed. The policies of Pope Pius IX, who openly proclaimed the struggle against progress and democracy, and Leo XIII, who continued this struggle, disguising it with the slogans of labor politics, received in the activities of the Vatican and the popes of the 20th century. down to John XXIII. K. created a wide, very ramified effective system. Ch. the center of this modern system. K. is the Vatican with its many. departments (congregations), diplomatic. and missionary service, monastic orders, a network of educational institutions, scientific. institutions, publishing enterprises, radio, television and film studios, etc.

In modern world K. openly invades politics. , is trying to influence international relations and politics of the state, strives for control over the minds. life and culture of the people. mass in pp. countries. Catholic , skillfully adapting to specific conditions, is carried out with the help of Catholicism. parties, trade unions, cultural and educational, sports societies and other associations. National and international associations of these organizations - “Catholic”, “Lay Apostolate” and many others. others, called upon to implement the policy of class, aimed at distracting the masses from the class struggle.

Stubborn defense of modern K. reaction positions. imperialistic strength is explained not only by history. traditions, due to which the Catholic The church has always acted as an instrument of reaction, but above all as a strong economic and political force. and personal connections of the leaders of this church with the owners of modern times. imperialistic world, especially America. Finnish capital. The source of enrichment is Catholic. The church still remains on religion. feelings of believers: holy and jubilee years, places of pilgrimage, indulgences. The church also receives large incomes from the state. subsidies paid to it due to agreements with a number of government agencies. concordats (Western Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin American countries, etc.).

Reactionality of modern times. K. is aggravated by his role in various ideological areas. struggle. In recent years, there has been a growing K., striving to exert its ideological influence in the field of nature. and societies. sciences, arts. literature and in the lawsuit. One can state K.'s tactics in the fight against science, as exemplified by the speeches of Pope Pius XII on various issues over the past 10 years. Based on neo-Thomism, which has emerged since the end of the 19th century. official philosophy of K., the church is looking for opportunities to make modern. science, under the pretext of cooperation with it, the handmaiden of theology, demands that science serve to strengthen faith, etc. The same demands are put forward by K. before the lawsuit and the letter. In this regard, there is an increased activity of K. in attempts to falsify science.

Along with the philosophy of neo-Thomism in K. over the past decades, this means. Subjective-idealistic ideas have also become widespread. directions. Already at the beginning of the 20th century. M. Blondel, A. Loisy and others developed the “doctrine”, the so-called. Catholic Despite sharp criticism from the neo-Thomists and the Vatican, who accused the modernists of understanding God only as a phenomenon of subjective consciousness and rejecting rationality. knowledge of God, in accordance with the teachings of Thomas Aquinas, the views of modernists received further development. All R. 20th century Catholic formed. , speaking in the spirit of open irrationalism and mysticism. The head of this philosopher. directions G. Marcel claims to create a true religion. philosophy and openly defends religions. ideas and especially Catholic. doctrine of death and immortality.

All modern K. is defined by hatred of Marxism, will liberate. labor movement, national liberation. movement of peoples against imperialism. To implement its anti-communist. activities, dissemination of these ideas among the masses, the Vatican creates a national. and international organizations, such as, for example, the detachments of Father Leppich in the West. Germany, "Marian" unions led by Jesuits ("Legion of Mary", "Blue Army of Mary", etc.). Politics has increased enormously. K.'s activity for the latter in the countries of Asia and Africa, where he supports all the aspirations of the imperialists to preserve the collapsing colonial regime and in every possible way interferes with the unfolding struggle of peoples for their liberation from the remnants of colonial slavery, trying unsuccessfully to use Catholic methods in this policy. expansion (missionary work, creation of local clergy, etc.).

Huge successes of world communist. movements and close ties of modern times. K. with imperialistic. the reaction caused deep into the Catholic. camp. This crisis is developing on the basis of an increasingly general crisis of religions. ideology, which is forced to retreat and give up its positions to advanced science and science, which is winning more and more victories. a worldview that penetrates the masses.

Crisis in the Catholic camp is marked by a departure from the Vatican policy of tens of millions of Catholics, incl. Catholic clergy and leaders. organizations, primarily in the countries of the people. democracy (Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany) and in the Soviet Union. Union; frictions and conflicts in the leadership of the church and major Catholics. organizations (Catholic Action, Jesuit Order, Christian Democratic Party in Italy, etc.); the struggle of factions in the Vatican itself. K. with his entire history proves the deep foundation. provisions of Marxism-Leninism, which considers every religion as irreconcilable and absolute. the opposite of science, but “...all and all religious organizations..., as organs of bourgeois reaction, defense of exploitation and intoxication of the working class” (Lenin V.I., Soch., vol. 15, pp. 371–72).

Lit.: Engels F., Peasant in Germany, M., 1952; his, Development of socialism from utopia to science. Introduction to the English edition, in the book: Marx K. and Engels F., Izbr. proizv., vol. 2, M., 1949; his, Legal, in the book: Marx K. and Engels F., Soch., vol. 16, part 1, M., 1937; his, Frankish period, ibid.; Korovin E. A., Catholicism as a factor in modern world politics, M., 1931; Manhattan A., Vatican. The Catholic Church is a stronghold of world reaction, trans. from English, M., 1948; Sheinman M. M., The Vatican between the two world wars, M.–L., 1948; him, Ideology and the Vatican in the service of imperialism, [M. ], 1950; his, The Vatican and Catholicism in the late XIX - early XX centuries, M., 1958; him. Papacy, M., 1961; Kiefl F. X., Katholische Weltanschauung und modernes Denken, 3 Aufl., Regensburg, 1922; Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, Hrsg. von K. Galling, 2 Aufl., Bd 3, Tübingen, 1959; Algermissen K., Konfessionskunde..., 4 Aufl., Hannover, 1930; Steck K. G., Politischer Katholizismus als theologisches Problem, Münch., 1951; Loewenich W., Der moderne Katholizismus. Erscheinung und Probleme, Witten, 1956; Adam K., Das Wesen des Katholizismus, 12 Aufl., Düsseldorf, 1957; Mollnau K. A., Aus dem Schuldbuch des politischen Katholizismus, V., 1958.

B. Ramm. Leningrad.

Philosophical Encyclopedia. In 5 volumes - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. Edited by F. V. Konstantinov. 1960-1970 .

CATHOLICISM

CATHOLICISM (from the Greek καθολικός - universal, ecumenical) is one of three (along with Orthodoxy and Protestantism) directions in Christianity. It finally took shape after the division of Christianity in 1054 into two directions - Western and Eastern. Catholic doctrine is based on Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition.

Catholicism recognizes as canonical all the books included in the Latin translation of the Bible (Vulgate). The Holy Tradition is formed by the decrees of the 21st Council, the official decisions of the Popes. Recognizing the Nicene-Constantinople Faith, adopted at the I and II Ecumenical Councils (325 and 381), and other decisions of the first seven general Christian Councils, the Catholic Church introduced new dogmas. Thus, already at the Toledo Church Council (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 (Latin - “and the Son”), which served as a formal pretext for separation. Catholic doctrine proclaims the church to be a necessary instrument of salvation, since only it can restore the supernatural of people, lost as a result of original sin, to strive for the highest goal - God. The Church can compensate for this loss with the help of the so-called. treasuries of supererogatory good deeds performed by Christ, the Mother of God and the saints.

Catholic ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church) considers the church as a divine institution, which consists of holiness, catholicity (universality). The unity of the church rests on the teaching of Christ about the Church as the one Body of the Lord; its holiness is given by its divine origin. Being universal (Catholic), the church extends its influence throughout the world. The teaching of the apostles about the church and the fact of its founding by the apostle Peter give it an apostolic character.

The Catholic Church is a special institution, built on the principle of a strict hierarchy of power. It is based on three levels of priesthood (deacon, priest, bishop); The lowest level of organization is formed by the subdiaconate and other institutions established by the church. Along with this, within the church hierarchy there is a division into two ranks: the highest, consisting of those who receive their authority directly from the pope (cardinals, papal legates, apostolic vicars), and the lowest, including those whose authority comes from the bishop (vicars general, who represent the bishop in the exercise of his jurisdiction, and synodics, i.e. members of the ecclesiastical tribunal). The head of the Catholic Church is the Bishop of Rome - the Pope, elected for life by a special meeting of the College of Cardinals; at the same time he is the head of the Vatican City State. Celibacy is mandatory for all Catholic clergy.

The role of the church as an indispensable mediator in the matter of salvation is also justified by the doctrine of the sacraments, during the performance of which the divine is transmitted to the believer. Catholicism, like, recognizes seven sacraments (baptism, confirmation, communion, repentance, priesthood, marriage, unction), but there are differences in their understanding and performance. The sacrament of baptism in Catholicism is performed by pouring water on the head of the person being baptized or immersing him in water, while in Orthodoxy only by immersion. The sacrament of confirmation (confirmation) is not performed simultaneously with baptism, but when children reach 7-12 years of age. In addition to the recognition of the existence of hell and heaven, common to Christian movements, in the 15-16 centuries. In Catholicism, the dogma of purgatory is formulated - an intermediate place of residence for the souls of the dead until the final decision of their fate. In 1870, the First Vatican Council proclaimed the dogma of papal infallibility in matters of faith and morals. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was adopted in 1854, and in 1950 the dogma of Her bodily ascension was adopted. Like Orthodoxy, Catholicism preserves angels, saints, icons, relics, and relics. Catholicism practices a lush theatrical cult, including various types of art (paintings, frescoes, sculptures, organ music, etc.).

Monasticism, organized in congregations and brotherhoods, occupies an important position in Catholicism. There are currently about 140 monastic orders, led by the Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

The philosophy of Catholicism consists of various schools and movements, such as Catholic, the teachings of F. Suarez and D. Scotus, Catholic existentialism, Teilhardism, etc. In their genesis, they represent two directions: Catholic spiritualism, existentialism, personalism, their roots go back to Plato’s Augustinian, at. n. neo-scholastic movements - Suarezianism, and neo-Thomism - to Aristotelian-Thomist. The most influential movement in Catholicism is the teaching of Thomas Aquinas, who, based on the “Christianization” of Aristotelianism, managed to create a universal philosophical and theological system adapted to the needs of the medieval Catholic Church. Its main feature is the desire to rationally substantiate the Catholic faith. With the encyclical of Pope Leo XIII “Aetemi patris” (To the Eternal Father, 1879), the updated philosophy of Thomas Aquinas (neo-Thomism) was proclaimed eternal and the only true one. Distinguished by a number of advantages of scholastic philosophy - systematic, synthetic, conceptual, wide arsenal of categories and logical arguments, neo-Thomism could react quite constructively to new phenomena of modern culture. However, at the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the monopoly of neo-Thomism in Catholicism was not confirmed, since it prevents the use of other, more capable and modern philosophical systems. Today, neo-Thomism acts primarily as “assimilating neo-Thomism,” that is, actively perceiving and adapting to the needs of Catholicism the ideas of phenomenology, existentialism, philosophical anthropology, neo-positivism, etc. Aurelius Augustine (4th-5th centuries) had a tremendous impact on the philosophy of Catholicism. Augustinism, played in the 5th-13th centuries. leading role, today is represented by a number of neo-Augustian schools: philosophy of action (M. Blondel), philosophy of spirit (L. Lavelle, M. F. Sciacca), Catholic existentialism (G. Marcel), personalism (E. Mounier, J. Lacroix, M. .Nedonsel). These schools are united by the recognition of the sufficiency of internal human experience for comprehending the surrounding world; in the directly experienced connection of a person with God; emphasis on emotional and intuitive means of understanding the world; special to the problems of the individual. As for the theological system of Catholicism, it was also initially formed on the basis of the works of Augustine, who combined the traditions of patristics with the ideas of Neoplatonism. Over time, new trends emerged in Catholic theology: the mystical concept of God (Bernard of Clairvaux, F. Bonaventure), extreme rationalization of the process of knowledge of God (P. Abelard), “dual truth” (Siger of Brabant and others). Countering these trends, Thomas Aquinas, as a complement

In opposition to “super-rational theology” (the theology of revelation), he developed natural theology.

A peculiar form of the evolution of Catholicism was the emergence of the so-called. “new theology”, which, on the one hand, is associated with the revision of traditional dogma, the creation of a new theoretical basis for dogma, and with the renewal of church social teaching. Within the first trend, a number of leading theologians (P. Schoonenberg, I. Boros, A. Gulsbosch), when explaining the origin of man, take as their starting point not the traditional concept of monogenism (all people originate from one pair of people - Adam and Eve), but theories evolution and polygenism. The second found its expression in the emergence of the so-called. social theologies (theology of work, theology of free time, theology of culture, theology of liberation, etc.); “social” theologies try to overcome the “earthly” and “heavenly” traditional for Catholicism, and therefore they search for the “sacred” in various spheres of social life.

The official social teaching of Catholicism, enshrined in papal encyclicals, constitutions and decisions of councils, began to take shape at the end of the 19th century, and this continues. Its specific feature is manifested not only in justification from the positions of philosophy, sociology and ethics, but also in the obligatory theological argumentation, appealing to biblical texts. The social doctrine of Catholicism notes numerous manifestations of the crisis of civilization: a threat to the existence of the environment, the rampant destructive armed conflicts, terrorism, drug addiction, the crisis of the family institution, etc. The source of the crisis is seen primarily in the separation of man from God, which predetermines a false understanding of His essence, in the perception by modern civilization of the values ​​of secular rather than Christian culture. The Church is concerned about earthly problems.

Emphasizing the purely religious nature of its mission, it expands its participation in their solution, as evidenced by the creation of a social program, numerous institutions, societies, and commissions. The modern Catholic Church (over 1 billion believers) has its adherents in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, and Latin American countries. In the CIS, Catholics live mainly in the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus. Catholic parishes also operate in Russia.

This article will focus on what Catholicism is and who Catholics are. This direction is considered one of the branches of Christianity, formed due to a large schism in this religion, which occurred in 1054.

Who they are is in many ways similar to Orthodoxy, but there are also differences. The Catholic religion differs from other movements in Christianity in its religious teachings and cult rituals. Catholicism added new dogmas to the Creed.

Spreading

Catholicism is widespread in Western European (France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Italy) and Eastern European (Poland, Hungary, partly Latvia and Lithuania) countries, as well as in the countries of South America, where the overwhelming majority of the population professes it. There are also Catholics in Asia and Africa, but the influence of the Catholic religion is insignificant here. compared to the Orthodox Christians are a minority. There are about 700 thousand of them. Catholics in Ukraine are more numerous. There are about 5 million people.

Name

The word "Catholicism" is of Greek origin and translated means universality or universality. In the modern understanding, this term refers to the Western branch of Christianity, which adheres to the apostolic traditions. Apparently, the church was understood as something universal and universal. Ignatius of Antioch spoke about this in 115. The term "Catholicism" was officially introduced at the first Council of Constantinople (381). The Christian Church was recognized as one, holy, catholic and apostolic.

Origin of Catholicism

The term “church” began to appear in written sources (letters of Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna) from the second century. This is the word of the municipality. At the turn of the second and third centuries, Irenaeus of Lyons applied the word "church" to Christianity in general. For individual (regional, local) Christian communities it was used with the corresponding adjective (for example, the Church of Alexandria).

In the second century, Christian society was divided into laity and clergy. In turn, the latter were divided into bishops, priests and deacons. It remains unclear how governance was carried out in the communities - collegially or individually. Some experts believe that the government was initially democratic, but over time it became monarchical. The clergy was governed by a Spiritual Council headed by a bishop. This theory is supported by the letters of Ignatius of Antioch, in which he mentions bishops as leaders of Christian municipalities in Syria and Asia Minor. Over time, the Spiritual Council became merely an advisory body. But only the bishop had real power in a particular province.

In the second century, the desire to preserve apostolic traditions contributed to the emergence of a structure. The Church had to protect the faith, dogmas and canons of the Holy Scriptures. All this, as well as the influence of the syncretism of the Hellenistic religion, led to the formation of Catholicism in its ancient form.

The final formation of Catholicism

After the division of Christianity in 1054 into western and eastern branches, they began to be called Catholic and Orthodox. After the Reformation of the sixteenth century, the word “Roman” began to be added more and more often to the term “Catholic” in everyday use. From the point of view of religious studies, the concept of "Catholicism" covers many Christian communities that adhere to the same doctrine as the Catholic Church and are subject to the authority of the Pope. There are also Uniate and Eastern Catholic churches. As a rule, they left the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople and became subordinate to the Pope, but retained their dogmas and rituals. Examples are the Greek Catholics, the Byzantine Catholic Church and others.

Basic tenets and postulates

To understand who Catholics are, you need to pay attention to the basic tenets of their faith. The main dogma of Catholicism, which distinguishes it from other areas of Christianity, is the thesis that the Pope is infallible. However, there are many known cases when Popes, in the struggle for power and influence, entered into dishonest alliances with large feudal lords and kings, were obsessed with the thirst for profit and constantly increased their wealth, and also interfered in politics.

The next postulate of Catholicism is the dogma of purgatory, approved in 1439 at the Council of Florence. This teaching is based on the fact that the human soul after death goes to purgatory, which is an intermediate level between hell and heaven. There she can be cleansed of her sins through various tests. Relatives and friends of the deceased can help his soul cope with trials through prayers and donations. It follows from this that a person’s fate in the afterlife depends not only on the righteousness of his life, but also on the financial well-being of his loved ones.

An important postulate of Catholicism is the thesis about the exclusive status of the clergy. According to him, without resorting to the services of the clergy, a person cannot independently earn God's mercy. A Catholic priest has serious advantages and privileges compared to the ordinary flock. According to the Catholic religion, only the clergy has the right to read the Bible - this is their exclusive right. This is prohibited for other believers. Only publications written in Latin are considered canonical.

Catholic dogmatics determines the need for systematic confession of believers before the clergy. Everyone is obliged to have his own confessor and constantly report to him about his own thoughts and actions. Without systematic confession, the salvation of the soul is impossible. This condition allows the Catholic clergy to penetrate deeply into the personal lives of their flock and control a person's every move. Constant confession allows the church to have a serious influence on society, and especially on women.

Catholic sacraments

The main task of the Catholic Church (the community of believers as a whole) is to preach Christ to the world. The sacraments are considered visible signs of God's invisible grace. Essentially, these are actions established by Jesus Christ that must be performed for the good and salvation of the soul. There are seven sacraments in Catholicism:

• baptism;
• anointing (confirmation);
• Eucharist, or communion (Catholics take their first communion at the age of 7-10 years);
• sacrament of repentance and reconciliation (confession);
• anointing;
• sacrament of the priesthood (ordination);
• sacrament of marriage.

According to some experts and researchers, the roots of the sacraments of Christianity go back to the pagan mysteries. However, this point of view is actively criticized by theologians. According to the latter, in the first centuries A.D. e. The pagans borrowed some rituals from Christianity.

What is the difference between Catholics and Orthodox Christians?

What Catholicism and Orthodoxy have in common is that in both of these branches of Christianity, the church is a mediator between man and God. Both churches agree that the Bible is the fundamental document and doctrine of Christianity. However, there are many differences and disagreements between Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

Both directions agree that there is one God in three incarnations: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (trinity). But the origin of the latter is interpreted differently (the Filioque problem). The Orthodox profess the “Creed,” which proclaims the procession of the Holy Spirit only “from the Father.” Catholics add “and the Son” to the text, which changes the dogmatic meaning. Greek Catholics and other Eastern Catholic denominations have retained the Orthodox version of the Creed.

Both Catholics and Orthodox understand that there is a difference between the Creator and the creation. However, according to Catholic canons, the world has a material nature. He was created by God out of nothing. There is nothing divine in the material world. While Orthodoxy assumes that the divine creation is the embodiment of God himself, it comes from God, and therefore he is invisibly present in his creations. Orthodoxy believes that you can touch God through contemplation, that is, approach the divine through consciousness. Catholicism does not accept this.

Another difference between Catholics and Orthodox Christians is that the former consider it possible to introduce new dogmas. There is also a teaching about the “good deeds and merits” of Catholic saints and the Church. On its basis, the Pope can forgive the sins of his flock and is the vicar of God on Earth. In matters of religion he is considered infallible. This dogma was adopted in 1870.

Differences in rituals. How Catholics are baptized

There are also differences in rituals, the design of churches, etc. Orthodox Christians even perform the prayer procedure not exactly the same way as Catholics pray. Although at first glance it seems that the difference is in some small details. To feel the spiritual difference, it is enough to compare two icons, Catholic and Orthodox. The first one looks more like a beautiful painting. In Orthodoxy, icons are more sacred. Many people are wondering, Catholics and Orthodox? In the first case, they are baptized with two fingers, and in Orthodoxy - with three. In many Eastern Catholic rites, the thumb, index and middle fingers are placed together. How else are Catholics baptized? A less common method is to use an open palm, with the fingers pressed tightly together and the thumb slightly tucked inward. This symbolizes the openness of the soul to the Lord.

Man's destiny

The Catholic Church teaches that people are burdened by original sin (with the exception of the Virgin Mary), that is, every person from birth has a grain of Satan. Therefore, people need the grace of salvation, which can be obtained by living by faith and doing good works. The knowledge of the existence of God is, despite human sinfulness, accessible to the human mind. This means that people are responsible for their actions. Every person is loved by God, but at the end the Last Judgment awaits him. Particularly righteous and godly people are ranked among the Saints (canonized). The church keeps a list of them. The process of canonization is preceded by beatification (beatification). Orthodoxy also has a cult of Saints, but most Protestant movements reject it.

Indulgences

In Catholicism, an indulgence is the complete or partial release of a person from punishment for his sins, as well as from the corresponding expiatory action imposed on him by the priest. Initially, the basis for receiving an indulgence was the performance of some good deed (for example, a pilgrimage to holy places). Then they became a donation of a certain amount to the church. During the Renaissance, serious and widespread abuses were observed, which consisted of the distribution of indulgences for money. As a result, this sparked the start of protests and a reform movement. In 1567, Pope Pius V banned the issuance of indulgences for money and material resources in general.

Celibacy in Catholicism

Another serious difference between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church is that all the clergy of the latter give Catholic clergy do not have the right to marry or even have sexual intercourse. All attempts to marry after receiving the diaconate are considered invalid. This rule was announced during the time of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604), and was finally approved only in the 11th century.

The Eastern churches rejected the Catholic version of celibacy at the Council of Trullo. In Catholicism, the vow of celibacy applies to all clergy. Initially, minor church ranks had the right to marry. Married men could be initiated into them. However, Pope Paul VI abolished them, replacing them with the positions of reader and acolyte, which were no longer associated with the status of cleric. He also introduced the institution of deacons for life (those who do not intend to advance further in their church career and become priests). These may include married men.

As an exception, married men who converted to Catholicism from various branches of Protestantism, where they held the ranks of pastors, clergy, etc., can be ordained to the priesthood. However, the Catholic Church does not recognize their priesthood.

Now the obligatory celibacy for all Catholic clergy is the subject of heated debate. In many European countries and the United States, some Catholics believe that mandatory celibacy should be abolished for non-monastic clergy. However, the Pope did not support such a reform.

Celibacy in Orthodoxy

In Orthodoxy, clergy can be married if the marriage took place before ordination to the priesthood or deaconship. However, only monks of the minor schema, widowed or celibate priests can become bishops. In the Orthodox Church, a bishop must be a monk. Only archimandrites can be ordained to this rank. Simply celibates and representatives of married white clergy (non-monastics) cannot become bishops. Sometimes, as an exception, episcopal ordination is possible for representatives of these categories. However, before this they must accept the minor monastic schema and receive the rank of archimandrite.

Inquisition

To the question of who the Catholics of the medieval period were, you can get an idea by familiarizing yourself with the activities of such a church body as the Inquisition. It was a judicial institution of the Catholic Church, which was intended to combat heresy and heretics. In the 12th century, Catholicism faced the growth of various opposition movements in Europe. One of the main ones was Albigensianism (Cathars). The popes assigned the responsibility of fighting them to the bishops. They were supposed to identify heretics, judge them, and hand them over to secular authorities for execution. The ultimate punishment was burning at the stake. But the episcopal activity was not very effective. Therefore, Pope Gregory IX created a special church body to investigate the crimes of heretics - the Inquisition. Initially directed against the Cathars, it soon turned against all heretical movements, as well as witches, sorcerers, blasphemers, infidels, etc.

Inquisitorial Tribunal

The inquisitors were recruited from various members, primarily from the Dominicans. The Inquisition reported directly to the Pope. Initially, the tribunal was headed by two judges, and from the 14th century - by one, but it consisted of legal consultants who determined the degree of “hereticism”. In addition, the number of court employees included a notary (certified testimony), witnesses, a doctor (monitored the condition of the defendant during executions), a prosecutor and an executioner. The inquisitors were given part of the confiscated property of heretics, so there is no need to talk about the honesty and fairness of their trial, since it was beneficial for them to find a person guilty of heresy.

Inquisition procedure

There were two types of inquisitorial investigation: general and individual. In the first, a large part of the population of a particular area was surveyed. In the second case, a specific person was called through the priest. In cases where the summoned person did not appear, he was excommunicated from the church. The man swore an oath to sincerely tell everything he knew about heretics and heresy. The progress of the investigation and proceedings were kept in the deepest secrecy. It is known that the inquisitors widely used torture, which was authorized by Pope Innocent IV. At times their cruelty was condemned even by secular authorities.

The accused were never given the names of the witnesses. Often they were excommunicated from the church, murderers, thieves, oathbreakers - people whose testimony was not taken into account even by the secular courts of that time. The defendant was deprived of the right to have a lawyer. The only possible form of defense was an appeal to the Holy See, although it was formally prohibited by Bull 1231. People once condemned by the Inquisition could be brought to justice again at any time. Even death did not save him from the investigation. If a person who had already died was found guilty, then his ashes were taken from the grave and burned.

Punishment system

The list of punishments for heretics was established by bulls 1213, 1231, as well as by the decrees of the Third Lateran Council. If a person confessed to heresy and repented during the trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The Tribunal had the right to reduce the term. However, such sentences were rare. The prisoners were kept in extremely cramped cells, often shackled, and fed with water and bread. During the late Middle Ages, this sentence was replaced by hard labor in galleys. Obstinate heretics were sentenced to be burned at the stake. If a person confessed before the start of his trial, then various church punishments were imposed on him: excommunication, pilgrimage to holy places, donations to the church, interdict, various types of penances.

Fasting in Catholicism

Fasting for Catholics consists of abstaining from excesses, both physical and spiritual. In Catholicism, there are the following fasting periods and days:

• Lent for Catholics. It lasts 40 days before Easter.
• Advent For four Sundays before Christmas, believers should reflect on his upcoming coming and be spiritually focused.
• All Fridays.
• Dates of some major Christian holidays.
• Quatuor anni tempora. Translated as “four seasons.” These are special days of repentance and fasting. A believer must fast once every season on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
• Fasting before communion. The believer must abstain from food an hour before communion.

The requirements for fasting in Catholicism and Orthodoxy are mostly similar.

Name: Catholicism (“universal, ecumenical”)

Catholicism is rightfully considered one of the largest movements within the church. Having emerged at the dawn of the Christian era, two thousand years later it spread its branches throughout the globe, gaining fame both due to its powerful organizational structure and due to the principles of its doctrine. The term “Catholicism” itself arose in the first century AD - even then, despite persecution by the Caesars, Christianity began to gradually spread throughout the Roman Empire. This doctrine was finally formed only in 1054 after the division of the Christian Church into Orthodox and Catholic. Since then, Catholicism began to be actively propagated in the countries of Europe and America. Despite the fact that many independent religious movements (Baptism, Lutheranism, Anglicanism) subsequently broke away from it, Catholicism subsequently became known as the most powerful branch of the Christian religion.

Since the 60s, a number of measures have been taken within Catholicism to modernize canonical dogmas, as well as Vatican centralized policies. Currently, the Vatican demonstrates by its example a striking combination of secular and ecclesiastical power: leading all the Catholic organizations of the world, the city-state has all the attributes of a “miniature power”: a flag, coat of arms, anthem and even telegraph and mail.

Catholicism of the present time has nothing to do with the Inquisition, witch hunts, and the fight against “heresies” - all this remains far in the past. It is not surprising that today the number of Catholics in the world reaches almost a billion people. Today, Catholics make up the majority of the faithful in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Australia - and their numbers continue to gradually increase.

Catholicism has a centralized administrative apparatus, characterized by a unified management system: all power is concentrated around the head of the church - she is the successor of the Apostle Peter, the Pope. He is infallible in matters of faith and is the direct vicar of Christ on earth. Together with the College of Cardinals and the Synod of Bishops, the Pope is the supreme governing body of the entire Catholic Church.

Catholic churches are richly decorated: the gaze of any believer is attracted by skillfully sculpted statues, colorfully painted images of saints... Divine services conducted according to the Latin rite are distinguished by staged theatricality: they are held to the accompaniment of organ music. Unlike Orthodox churches, you can sit in Catholic churches - parishioners sometimes joke that this is a sufficient reason to attend Sunday mass.

Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit comes from both God the Father and God the Son. In addition, they are characterized by a belief in purgatory - the interval between heaven and hell. The source of faith for Catholics is not only the Holy Scriptures, but also the Holy Tradition. As for the sacraments recognized by Catholics, there are only seven of them. Baptism is performed from left to right. Also within the framework of Catholicism, there is a doctrine of indulgences, in other words, the remission of sins from a penitent after obligatory communion, confession, and prayer.

Catholics are also characterized by ardent veneration of the Virgin Mary. Catholic priests are required to observe celibacy. Perhaps this is what determines the strict separation in this doctrine of the laity (ordinary parishioners) and the clergy (priests) - they receive communion separately from each other.

Also, this doctrine is characterized by an extensive cult of saints: they are awarded a special place in the church hierarchy. Catholicism is distinguished by the veneration of all kinds of holy relics - from the nails with which, according to legend, Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross, and ending with the shroud, on which the face of the Virgin Mary was once imprinted.

Today, Catholicism has gained the attention of European youth mainly due to its adaptation to the problems of our time. Catholic organizations are using the Internet and television to promote their faith. Thanks to this, they manage to collect numerous donations for missionary work, helping hopeless patients and children from low-income families. In a word, the Catholic Church of the present time is the continuer of the glorious Christian traditions of two thousand years ago.

Today, along with Orthodoxy and Protestantism Catholicism is rightfully considered one of the most large-scale movements within the Christian church. Having arisen back in dawn of the Christian era, two thousand years later he spread its branches across the globe, having gained fame both due to its powerful organizational structure and due to principles of faith.

Cradle of Catholicism

The term “Catholicism” itself arose in first century AD- even then, despite persecution by the Caesars, Christianity gradually became spread throughout the Roman Empire. Translated from Greek "katholikos" " means "universal, universal". The future confirmed the transparent etymology of this word - subsequently Catholicism became "play first fiddle" like inside Christian doctrine, and on world political arena.

This doctrine finally took shape only in 1054 after the division of the Christian Church into Orthodox and Catholic. Since then, Catholicism began to be actively propagated in countries of Europe and America. Despite the fact that many subsequently broke away from it independent religious movements(Baptism, Lutheranism, Anglicanism), subsequently Catholicism became known as the most powerful branch of the Christian religion.

Since the 60s, within the framework of Catholicism a number of measures to modernize canonical dogmas, as well as Vatican centralized policies. Currently, the Vatican demonstrates by its example a bright combination of secular and ecclesiastical authority: Leading all the Catholic organizations of the world, the city-state has all the attributes "powers in miniature": flag, coat of arms, anthem and even by telegraph and mail.

Catholicism of the present time has nothing to do with the Inquisition, witch hunts, and the fight against “heresies” - all this remains far in the past. It is not surprising that today The number of Catholics in the world reaches almost a billion people. Today Catholics make up the majority of the faithful in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Australia—and their the number continues to gradually increase.

Catholic cult

Catholicism has centralized management apparatus, characterized by a unified management system: all power is concentrated around the head of the church - she is successor of the Apostle Peter, Pope of Rome. He is infallible in matters of faith and is upright vicar of Christ on earth. Together with the College of Cardinals and the Synod of Bishops, the Pope is supreme governing body the entire Catholic Church.

Catholic temples are richly decorated: the eye of any believer is attracted by skillfully sculpted statues, colorfully painted images of saints… Divine services held on Latin rite, are distinguished by staged theatricality: they pass under organ music. Unlike the same Orthodox churches, You can sit in Catholic churches- parishioners sometimes joke that this is a sufficient reason to attend Sunday mass.

Questions of Faith

Catholics believe that Holy Spirit comes from both from God the Father and from God the Son. In addition, they are characterized belief in purgatory- the gap between heaven and hell. The source of faith for Catholics is not only Holy Bible, but also Sacred Tradition. Regarding those recognized by Catholics sacraments, then them only seven. Baptism is performed from left to right. Also within Catholicism there is doctrine of indulgences, in other words, about the remission of sins from the repentant after the obligatory communion, confession, and prayer.

Also characterizes Catholics ardent veneration of the Virgin Mary. Paradoxical but true: Catholic priests are required to observe celibacy. Perhaps this is what determines the strict separation in this doctrine of the laity (ordinary parishioners) and the clergy (priests) - they receive communion separately from each other.

Also characteristic of this doctrine is extensive cult of saints: they are awarded special place in the church hierarchy. Catholicism is distinguished by its veneration of all kinds holy relics- starting from nails, with which, according to legend, Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross, ending with shroud, on which his face was once imprinted.

Today, Catholicism has gained attention of European youth mainly due to adaptation to modern problems. Catholic organizations are turning to help internet and television to promote their beliefs. Thanks to this, they manage to collect numerous donations for missionary work, helping hopeless patients And children from low-income families. In short, the Catholic Church of the present time is successor of glorious Christian traditions two thousand years ago.

Catholicism is one of the main directions of Christianity (along with Orthodoxy and Protestantism). As a doctrine, Catholicism was finally formed in 1054, after the so-called division of churches.

In our time, Catholicism is the most widespread Christian denomination. Adherents of this teaching - Catholics - can be found in all corners of the globe.

The center of the Catholic Church is considered to be the Vatican, a tiny city-state in the center of Rome. The area of ​​the Vatican is only 44 hectares, and the population is about 1 thousand people. But, despite such small size, the Vatican has all the necessary attributes of a real state. It has its own coat of arms, flag, anthem, radio, post office and even a small guard.

The head of all Catholics, the Pope, lives in the Vatican. He directs the activities of numerous Catholic organizations throughout the world. In addition, the pope appoints the highest church hierarchs - cardinals and bishops. The position of the Pope is for life. He is elected by the College of Cardinals (conclave). All Catholics consider the pope to be God's representative on earth, infallible in matters of faith. His power is even higher than the power of ecumenical councils - official meetings of bishops and other representatives of the Catholic Church, at which the most important church problems are decided.

The list of popes published by the Vatican includes 262 popes, including the previous one, John Paul II. From 1523 to 1978, this post was held only by Italians. And in 1978, Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla was elected pope, taking the name John Paul II.

How does the Catholic faith differ from the Orthodox one? First, Catholics believe that the “holy spirit” comes not only from God the Father, as the Orthodox Church teaches, but also from God the Son. The Catholic faith recognizes the existence of purgatory, which is a kind of “intermediate” place between heaven and hell, where the souls of sinners who have not received forgiveness in earthly life, but have not committed mortal sins, are cleansed. It is believed that after a stay in purgatory, a person's soul can go to heaven.

Unlike Orthodox priests, all Catholic clergy take a vow of celibacy. In addition, Catholicism has a number of features associated with sacraments and rituals.
For example, the baptism of infants among Catholics is performed by pouring water or immersion in water, while among Orthodox Christians it is performed only by immersion in a font of holy water. Until recently, the sacrament of communion (Eucharist) also occurred differently among Catholics and Orthodox Christians. In the Orthodox Church, all believers receive communion with bread and wine. And in Catholicism, until recently, the laity were allowed to receive communion only with bread. The decision that all Catholics can also take communion with wine was made at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).

Another characteristic feature of Catholicism is the veneration of the Mother of God and the recognition of her bodily ascension to heaven. In addition, Catholics have a widespread cult of all kinds of relics (these include, for example, the remains of Jesus’ clothing, the nails with which he was nailed to the cross, etc.), as well as numerous martyrs and blessed ones.

For many centuries, services in Catholic churches around the world were conducted only in Latin. Only the Second Vatican Council allowed services to be held in national languages.

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