Please explain the difference in Greek Eastern Orthodox and The Catholic Church?

How was the orthodox church founded and are the beliefs same or different from that of the catholics?

In the first 300 years of Christianity, there was no Roman Catholic Church or Pope as we know it today. During this time four cities were the important centers of Christianity: Rome, Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria. Although the Roman church was highly respected, the churches in the East generally had more numbers and more authority than those of the West, (Jerusalem was where Jesus ministered, was crucified and resurrected, Antioch is where his follows were first called Christians and was Paul's missionary base, etc.) After the Edict of Milan granted Christianity legal status, the church adopted the same governmental structure as the Empire which was geographical provinces ruled by bishops. It naturally followed that bishops of important cities rose in power and stature. Since Rome happened to be the capital and power base of the Western Empire, the prestige of the Bishop of Rome could be taken for granted without the need of sophisticated theological justification.

The Eastern Orthodox Church rejected the supremacy of the Roman Bishop as the Pope over all of Christianity and instead retained the original Apostolic tradition of Bishops ruling with specific jurisdictions as peers, lead by the Holy Spirit. There are some other theological differences with specific Papal decrees about certain traditions or liturgy, but going to an Orthodox Church is a very similar experience in style and substance as a Roman Catholic church. This "great schism" between the Eastern and Western church happened about 1050 AD.

The Orthodoxs ha vent the Pope, only the Patriarchs, they don't believe on Inmaculate conception as dogma.

The Orthodox and Catholic Churches were one and the same until they separated from one another in 1054 mainly over the role of the Pope.

There are very few theological differences. The main difference is that the Orthodox Churches (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11329a.htm) use the Byzantine Rite (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04312d.htm) and the Catholic Church use the Roman or Latin Rite.

Pope John Paul II said of the Orthodox Churches in Orientale Lumen, "A particularly close link already binds us. We have almost everything in common."

For the entire document, see: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_02051995_orientale-lumen_en.html

With love in Christ.

1. One of the most important differences between the Catholics and Orthodox is the doctrine that the popes of Rome have absolute authority over all other bishops throughout Christianity and that they are infallible in matters of doctrine. Both dogmas had never existed until the 9Th century, when more and more Roman popes were seeking to assert their spiritual authority as the supreme expression of the Faith. Eastern Orthodoxy cannot accept such beliefs because these ideals were never part of the early Church. Early Christian bishops, including Eastern Orthodox ones, have always utilized a consensus of opinions and spiritual authority, usually by council or synod. It is this wider perspective of decision-making that is considered infallible r regarding matters of doctrine and absolute authority


2. In the 5Th century a new doctrine surfaced which was called the Filioque. The Filioque is the name of an additional phrase of the Nicene Creed that says, "and the Son". The Nicene Creed originally said, "I believe.....in the Holy Spirit....who proceeds from the Father." The Filioque makes the Creed say, "I believe....in the Holy Spirit....who proceeds from the Father and the Son." This additional phrase became more and more accepted in the west over the centuries until the 9Th-10th centuries when more and more popes began to declare it divinely inspired. This phrase was recognized as creating a false perception of the Trinity, as though there is a hierarchical structure to the Trinity, rather than a perfect Triad. This is why Eastern Orthodoxy cannot accept this new doctrine.


3. The Catholic church also began to believe in another new doctrine, which states that the Virgin Mary was conceived and born without sin. The early Church, including Eastern Orthodoxy, believes that the Virgin Mary was capable of sinning, but she successfully resisted sin her whole life. If she had been created without sin, then this would mean that she was not exactly human, and therefore Christ's Flesh was not exactly human, and so He could not have taken on our whole human flesh in the truest way in order to save the human race