All Christians are divided into three main confessions, so to speak, forms of service to God: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
Catholicism and Orthodoxy were formed as far back as 1054, when the Catholic Church (Greek καθολικός – “universal, universal, conciliar” – Wikipedia) split at the famous Council of Sophia and the Eastern Church separated from the Western Church.
Even later, in the 16th century, Catholicism split into Catholics and Protestants under the influence of Martin Luther’s teachings.
It is important to remember that all three of these denominations constitute Christianity and are by no means “enemies” of Orthodoxy, but brothers and sisters in Christ.
Catholics themselves differ in the rite of liturgy: there is the Roman, Byzantine, and others. But the distinctive feature of the Catholic Church is the belief in one universal Church, with the Pope at the head.
The foundations of Catholicism
The foundation of the Catholic Church is the Creed and the Christian dogmas:
Fliocwe is the dogma that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both God the Father and God the Son.
Celibacy is the dogma of the celibacy of priests and monks.
Purgatory is the dogma of a place between hell and heaven where one can atone for one’s sins.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and her bodily ascension. (The Orthodox also believe that Mary is in heaven in body and soul, but this is not a dogma of the Orthodox Church. The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary is not recognized by the Orthodox Church.)
At the head of the entire Catholic Church is the Pope. The Catholic Church is one church, all its offices in different countries are considered part of one church and are subordinate to the Pope.
An important feature of Catholicism is that Catholics do not consider the Pope a saint. Only his statements and decisions regarding the faith and the church are considered infallible, but he is not counted as a saint just because he was elected to that position.
Catholics love and appreciate the Pope, and he responds in kind, setting an example as a true believer. Just look at the stories that keep coming up in the news about the Pope washing the feet of prisoners. Or helping refugees.
What countries practice Catholicism?
There are over a billion Catholics in the world. Catholicism is one of the largest Christian denominations.
Most Catholics are in Brazil, Mexico, the United States, and India. Catholicism is present on every continent.
One of the most beautiful Catholic churches “of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary” is in the center of Moscow and is a favorite place for walks, attracting tourists with its gothic silhouette.
Differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy
Although both Catholics and Orthodox are Christians, there are nevertheless some differences:
The most important one is the belief in the Holy Spirit, which comes from both God the Father and the Son. The Catholic Church places this as the basis of the Creed, in contrast to the Orthodox Church, which confesses that the Holy Spirit comes only from the Father.