Comparison between Catholic Church and Orthodox Church            

Comparison between Catholic Church and Orthodox Church

Introduction

Being a staunch member of the Orthodox Church, I have never had the privilege to visit other churches except in a limited number of instances where I have accompanied a friend or a relative to his/her church. Nevertheless, based on my observations and research on the two churches, I have observed that the Catholic Church perceived itself to be in very close communion with Orthodox Church compared to the other churches. In the last two centuries, as from the Catholic Church’s establishment, Christianity has experiences several schisms at distinct stages. However, the Church remained united regardless of the numerous internal wrangles until 451 A.D. when the Council of the Chalcedon took place. It is during this period that the initial schism occurred as a result of the wrangles between factions of the Church with regards to Jesus’ nature. Even as a number insinuated that Jesus was in two distinct natures, human and divine, others under the Patriarch of Alexandria, Pope Dioscorus’ leadership opposed the definition. The opposing faction asserted that Christ was of two natures and this later resulted in the group breaking away and forming the Oriental Orthodox Church. By the year1054 A.D, the two factions had irreconcilable differences, which were related to specific teaching propagated by the Catholic division, as well as assertions of the supremacy of the pope that was opposed by the Orthodox faction. This, in the end, led to the Great Schism that resulted in the formation of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Regardless of having a common origin, the two churches have differences that are palpable in both their doctrines and practices as was revealed during one of my recent visits to the Catholic Church in Los Angeles. Amongst the most recent churches I have visited in recent times is the St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church.  In the course of my visit, I noted a number of things that were either comparable to or in contract to the Orthodox Church in terms of practice and doctrines. These are discussed and compared as follows.

Discussion and Comparison of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church

Amongst the notable things I observed during my visit to St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church was that the priests were celibate, and were not allowed to marry or receive the Sacrament of the Holy Matrimony. This was in contrast to the Orthodox Church where the priest, like other members of the church, is allowed to right to healthcarethe Sacrament of the Holy Matrimony. The reason given for such practices in Catholic Church regards the view that celibacy enables the priest to concentrate on spreading the gospel without having any familial commitment that might hinder their work. Further, during the church service (mass) in Catholic Church, I noticed that both women and men were seated together. This contradicted the Orthodox Church practices that stipulated that women and men stand separately with men standing on the left as women stand on the right (Walton, 2018). The difference was also noticeable during prayers. Thus, while the members of the Catholic Church are not required to face any specific direction while praying, the members of the Orthodox Church are taught and required to face the east in the course of prayers.

Still, during the visit to Sacrament of the Holy Matrimony, it was quite apparent that Catholics did not have any reservation with regards to fasting on Sundays and Saturdays. In Orthodox Church, the members are required not to fast on any of the two days. Moreover, another noticeable physical feature in Catholic Church that is missing in the Orthodox Church is the sculptures and images (Smith, 2016). For instance, at St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church there were a number of sculptures along with the portraits of the various Stations of the Cross. Nevertheless, such sculptures and portraits are not found in the Orthodox Church given that it does not propagate the notion on the Stations of the Cross. Also, at the end of the mass, the members of the Catholic Church that I visited were offered the Blood (wine) and Body (unleavened bread) of Jesus Christ during the Eucharist celebration. This tends to be comparable to the Orthodox Church practices given that during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the Blood (equal quantities of water and wine) and Body (leavened bread) of Jesus Christ are offered to the church members (Lynch, 2014).

With regards to the underlying doctrines of the two Churches, there were also a number of similarities and difference. For instance, the Immaculate Conception of Mother Mary tends to be prominent in the Catholic Church doctrines. For instance, the Church holds conviction in the conception of the Original Sin that brought about the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden. This conviction tends to propagate the all human are naturally born sinners. Moreover, Svensson (2014) also observes that the Catholic Church also propagates the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary dogma. According to the Bull Ineffabilis Deus, which was initially defined described in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, asserts that  ‘ as from the initial instance of her conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary had been, by the most singular privilege and grace of the Almighty God, as well as within the perspective of Jesus Christ’s merits, the human race’s Redeemer, who had been preserved from every blemish of the Original Sin (Benz, 2017). This was a doctrine that had been disclosed by God, and for that reason, to be steadfastly and firmly believed by every believer and faithful.’

On the other hand, with regards to the Orthodox Church, the Church neither believes in nor propagates the conception of the original sin. Rather, the Orthodox Church holds the conviction that as a consequence of the sin committed by Adam, man is destined to experience the death of the body. However, the Orthodox Church regards Mother Mary as the first amongst the Christian saints, and similar to the Catholic Church, pursues the various intercessory prayers through her. Further, the Orthodox Church holds the belief that the Mary Mother of God was filled with the Holy Spirit for the immaculate conception of Christ. The Church further believes that Jesus Christ came for the redemption of sins of all mankind including the Virgin Mother Mary. Following the Pentecost, the Orthodox Church believes that Mother Mary received the Holy Spirit and as a result was after that assumed into heaven.

However, similarities were also observed with regards to baptism of the members of the church and the first communion. Thus, in Catholic Church, infant baptism is practiced and this occurs in two key phases, namely; the confirmation and the first communion, which happens at a later phase of the life of the infant. Customarily, the Catholic Church was known to administer the confirmation prior to the administration of the First Communion. Nevertheless, in the contemporary times, the first communion is administered to the baptized person following the attainment of a specified age (7-9 years), even as confirmation occurs at a later age (9-11 years) (Benz, 2017). The confirmation is always preceded by the confession of the sacrament of reconciliation.

On the other hand, similar to the Catholic Church in relation baptism and first communion, the Orthodox Church also practices infant baptism. This entails the consecration of the infant with myrrh or Holy Chrism in the course of baptism. The process entails reception of the Holy Eucharist by the infant in two days following baptism, and this is always the next celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the church. As such, all Orthodox Christians tend to be official members of the Church nearly directly after baptism and this is followed by the reception of two other Sacraments, namely the Holy Eucharist and Chrismation simultaneously (Lynch, 2014). Jointly, the three are referred to as the Initiation Sacraments. However, the Confession Sacrament is normally administered at later stage when the baptized person is regarded as mature enough to differentiate between evil and good.

The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church also differ on the basis of infallibility and the papal supremacy. For instance, the Pope, who seats on St. Peter’s Apostolic Throne, is considered by the Catholic Church as the church’s head and the only supreme authority. The bishops and priests are, therefore, regarded as the Pope’s subordinate. In this regard, the dogma of the papal infallibility has also been propagated by the church. The dogma asserts that, based on the virtue of the promise Jesus made to Peter, the Pope has been preserved from any possibility of mistakes or errors in instances where he exercises his office as a teacher and shepherd of Christians, and as a result of the supreme apostolic authority accorded to him, he is tasked with the definition of the morals and faith doctrines that are held by the entire church (Lynch, 2014). However, in Orthodox Church, the different churches tend to be autocephalous, implying that they are independent of one another even as their bishops are not required to report to any higher bishop. The Church holds the belief that Jesus Christ is the head of the Universal Church, and the Catholicos or the Patriarch of every church mainly presides over the Episcopal Synod of the Church (Smith, 2016). Thus, the Catholicos or the Patriarch tends to be the administrative head of the church and is also spiritually at par with the other bishops. The Orthodox Church also believes that even though the Catholicos is regarded as the administrative head, he remains human and, therefore, bound to make mistakes. As a result, the Orthodox Church has entrusted the Synod comprising all bishops and certain clergy, who are Holy Spirit inspired, to make decisions regarding faith.

Lastly, another notable difference between Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church concern the issue of purgatory and two judgments.  According to the Catholic Church’s catechism, the individuals who die while in God’s friendship and grace, even though they were improperly purified are guaranteed of eternal salvation; however, after death, they have to be purified to realize the holiness that is essential to gain entry into heaven. The elects’ final purification has been referred to as purgatory by the church and this is very dissimilar from the damned’s punishment. The purgatory faith doctrine was formulated by the church at the Trent and Florence Councils (Smith, 2016). The scriptures on the Catholic Church’s tradition talk of the existence of a cleansing fire. For instance, it asserts that, “as for definite lesser sins, we have to believe that, prior to the Final Judgment, a purifying fire exist. The truthful one asserts that whoever speaks sacrilege against the Holy Spirit will not be pardoned in this age or in the coming age (Lynch, 2014). Based on this observation, Svensson (2014) observes that one, therefore, comes to the comprehension that while certain sins may be forgiven in this age, other may only be forgiven in the coming age. Fundamentally, the Catholic Church regards purgatory as a place where purification occurs prior to the entry into Heaven. This, therefore, is where individuals undergo judgment immediately after death and are either punished or rewarded for their deeds during their lifetime. However, during the Christ’s second coming, individuals will be separated in that manner that goats and sheep are separated (Matthews 25:32). The Catholic Church, therefore, believes that the human soul will be purified of sins in between the two judgments. On the contrary, the Orthodox Church does not subscribe to the purgatory doctrine. It, however, believes that following death, humans are placed in the state of waiting, often referred to as the Hades, in which humans wait for the final judgment. It is, nevertheless, in the course of the final judgment that people who did well will be reunited with Christ, as well as inherit eternal life, even as the evil persons will get cast into Hell for eternity (Lynch, 2014). However, similar to the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church also has conviction in the intercession of the dead.

Conclusion

Based on my visit and comparison between Catholic Church and Orthodox Church, I discovered that the two churches tend to share a lot in common including the same origin. Nevertheless, a number of differences were also observed including the differences on the aspects of purgatory and two judgments, infallibility and the papal supremacy, and the conception of the original sin amongst others. This paper has, therefore, lived up to its expectations with regards to the analysis of the differences and similarities between Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

References

Benz, E. (2017). The Eastern Orthodox Church: Its Thought and Life. Routledge.

Lynch, J. (2014). The medieval church: a brief history. Routledge.

Smith, T. (2016). A Comparison of Youth Ministry in the Three Divisions of Christianity:    Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism (Doctoral dissertation, University Honors            College, Middle Tennessee State University).

Svensson, M. (2014). Fundamental Doctrines of the Faith, Fundamental Doctrines of Society:      Seventeenth-Century Doctrinal Minimalism. The Journal of Religion, 94(2), 161-181.

Walton, R. C. (2018). Chronological and background charts of church history. Zondervan.