I am Orthdodox and there are quite a few
first ecological-ALhe Catholic Church is centralized in Rome with the Pope above all other Bishops. The Orthodox Church all Bishops are basically equal. Next practice- we ordain married men to the priesthood the western rite of the Catholic Church dose not. We use the original form of the Nicene creed. we also fast more- wensday and friday plus lent advent and a few other times through out the year. We view the fast rules differently the RC will write the minims while we write what you should aspire to do. We don't believe in purgatory like the RC dose we pray for the dead because the final judgment has not happened yet.
We differ on the Original sin- so we don't believe Mary is an immaculate conception as that would mean Christ could not be fully human.
We were one Church until 1054. The Orthodox Church says the Catholic Church went into schism, and the Catholic Church says the Orthodox Church went into schism. You?ll have to decide for yourself which you believe, but here?s how I look at it: where is Peter? Jesus left Peter in charge of His Church (Matthew 16:18-19; John 21:15-17), and how can Peter be in schism from himself? So, which organization has the successor of Peter? (Hint: the leader of the Orthodox, Bartholomew I, says he is the successor of Andrew.)
I agree with Lyn 1136 a first [Recalcitrant stubbornness exists, only made worsened by time, because as separated, many other doctrinal changes are now allowed among the Eastern Orthodoxies (divorce-remarriage) (birth control) and a non-celibate priesthood. They stray farther from the doctrine without the Holy Ghost to guide them.]
To sum up this answer in a word it is "politics". The old Roman Empire consisted of the East and Western kingdoms, each with it's own emperor and Catholic Churches, and people that didn't always like each other. As this collapsed the Roman Church (Pope) declared sovereignty over all the Churches, but most in the East refused. The East also claim one of the reasons was because the Vatican changed the trinity to where the Holy Spirit is listed last, and they believe it should be second to God. Just an excuse in my opinion, but the cooperation between the two continues to improve, and there is hope of an eventual re-unification. Unification has been achieved with many Eastern Catholic Churches and they are now under control of the Vatican. God be with you.
UPYR1 has most of it correct but as like most misunderstands what the Immaculate conception is.It is that Mary was born free of Original sin in other words she was immaculately pure a pure vessel worthy of bearing the Christ Child.
The Patriarchates of the East were allowed to retain their traditional Matter and Form of the Sacraments, for it is about the sacramental Rites that those Patriarchs were identified.
But the Patriarchates forgot that they were still the Catholic Church with the pope as its head, and they separated themselves from the descendant of Peter. The Patriarchates established their own "church" and claimed to be the "original" church, but the Decretals of the Early Fathers deny them. The Decretals point to the Roman Church consistently as the True Church of Christ. Many Decretals of the Fathers were even written in Greek, the language of the Eastern Patriarchates, and the Decretals proved against the Eastern Patriarchates.
The Eastern Orthodox refuse not only the Trinity, but also the LOGOS, their own definition of the TWO NATURES of Christ human and divine. They refuse the necessity and fact of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, a conception of doctrinal necessary to contain the most holy, pure, divine Infant. Such Doctrinal aberrations would have caused them excommunication without their own departure anyway.
Recalcitrant stubbornness exists, only made worsened by time, because as separated, many other doctrinal changes are now allowed among the Eastern Orthodoxies (divorce-remarriage) (birth control) and a non-celibate priesthood. They stray farther from the doctrine without the Holy Ghost to guide them. Pride comet before the fall.
The Eastern Orthodox faith, whether Greek, Russian, Romanian, or a number of other expressions, is one faith, one Church. Orthodoxy is often characterized as those Christians in communion with the Patriarch of Constantinople, rather than with the Pope of Rome.
The Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church and the Roman Catholic Church were one Church for the first millennium of Christianity, so there are many similarities. Common to both are most of the points of the Nicene Creed (http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/creed):
* belief in the Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit
* the divinity of Jesus Christ
* the Virgin Birth
* the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ
* the ascension of Christ into heaven
* the future return of Christ and the creation of his everlasting kingdom
* eternal life
Similar also are
* the structure of church governance (a hierarchy of of various ranks and responsibilities of bishops, a priesthood, and a donate)Te * the change of communion bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
* baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
* liturgical worship forms
* the major sacraments (baptism, marriage, ordination, confession, etc.)
* male-only clergy
* only celibates may become bishops
Beliefs have become different in some areas over the years. The chief differences, and those which precipitated the split between Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism, commonly called the Great Schism of 1054:
Orthodoxy believes
* the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (Nicene Creed and John 15:26)
* the patriarchs of the various churches have no ruling bishop over them all, always having been organized by councils/synods of bishops
Roman Catholicism believes
* the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (an addition to the Creed)
* the Pope of Rome is the presiding bishop over all Christianity
Additional post-schism Catholic dogmas, required for Catholics to believe, but that have never been Orthodox dogmas:
* purgatory
* infallibility of the Pope
* the immaculate conception of Mary
There are addition differences in practice that aren't quite dogma:
* Married men may become deacons and priests in the Orthodox Church
* Orthodox fasting practices are more severe
* Orthodoxy uses the Greek Septuagint for Old Testament, and the original Greek for New.
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.
Another difference is the Filioque clause in the Nicene Creed, the original which the Orthodox follow is
"And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father."
And the Catholic revision is:
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filioque
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
The Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Constantinople were founded by Jesus Christ through the Apostles.The Roman Catholic Church was founded by Saint Peter while the Church of Constantinople commonly known as the Eastern Orthodox Church was founded by Saint Andrew.Both Church have everything in common. The Patriarch of Constantin pole was established through the Christian emperor Constantine New Rome and is the first among equal in the Eastern Orthodox communion but it has no direct jurisdiction over the other Eastern Orthodox Church which are in Communion with Constantinople .The Roman Catholic Church Pope claims have total jurisdiction over all the Churches based on the Keys of Heaven that were given to Saint Peter by Jesus is Gospel of Matthew 16:18 But the Patriarch of Constantinople mediates in disputes and over Esslecia meetings.The Holy Catholic Mass or Divine Liturgy which is founded by the Apostle.The validity of the priesthood.Both priest Bishops and Patriarch are consecrated in the valid Latin Rite or the Byzantine Rite. The celibacy of the priesthood although in the Eastern Orthodox married man may become priest before joining the priesthood but they cannot become Bishops or Patriarchs.The Roman Catholic Church practices a celibate life for all Roman Catholic priesthood but in the Eastern Catholic Church which is in communion with Pope Benedict XVI the priesthood are allowed to get married before they join the priesthood but they cannot be promoted to Archbishops Cardinals or even Popes
They also have the Real presence of our Lord's flesh and blood.The Roman Catholic Church uses the doctrine of Transubtation to describe how the process of the Bread and Wine transform into the Body and Blood of Christ.The Eastern Orthodox Church calls it a mystery.They believe that it is not known when the Bread and Wine is transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ dwelling it as a mystery but nevertheless it is the same thing they all believe in the Body and Blood of Christ.The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church have their own Saints and venerate the Virgin Mary in Icons and the Saints
They also have the valid 7 sacraments
The Roman Catholic Church differs from Papal jurisdiction and Saint Augustine.While the Pope is accepted as the first among equal they do not accept him as the Universal head of the Church.The Roman Church and the Orthodox Church differs in Saint Augustine doctrine on original sin.The Roman Catholic Church believes that original sin is hereditary meaning it spread to the whole human race while Eastern Orthodox Church believes that while Adam's sin was hereditary it not paralyze mankind in doing good and that a person can choose what is right and wrong
They also disagreed the Filoque cause.The Roman Catholic Church added the insertion that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son while Eastern Orthodox claims this is illegal since the Council of Constantinople states very clearly with the Latin and Eastern theologians that the Hol Spirit proceeds from the Father .The Eastern Theologians argued that Jesus is both God and man and there is one principal source which is the Father The Son is also God but shares with the Holy Spirit which is being send to mankind. This will mean the Holy Spirit proceeded from two principal beginning The Roman Catholic Church view is that the Holy Spirit proceeds from one beginning from the Father and the Son.It is being understudied today by Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theologians
Kryie Elesion Kryie Elesion Kryie Elesion
In what sense? Theologically there are some differences, though these are more philosophical than practical. In terms of worship, both are highly liturgical, although the Orthodox tend to follow more rigorous discipline (fasting 60+ days a year, while most Catholics fast a handful). There are subtle Christological differences in the Creeds - ones that would cause discussion among theologians but perhaps not between you and I.
In occlusion terms, both are hierarchical, although there is no equivalent leader to the Pope in the Orthodox church. Both churches primarily are administered at a regional level - the bishop runs a Catholic diocese as a patriarch runs an Orthodox emaciate. Language tends to be in the vernacular, although for many reasons the Orthodox church in the U.S. may reflect the language of an ethnic community that has recently immigrated. For that reason, my Russian orthodox neighbor actually goes to services in Russian - his coreligionists are mainly Russian and Belarussian immigrants.Catholic priests may marry in all but the Latin Rite (which is most common in the U.S.), while Orthodox priests are free to marry.
In terms of discipleship, devout Catholics and Orthodox would live very similarly, emphasizing a life that follows the virtues, seeks to avoid sin, and seeks constantly to heal any rifts caused by personal sin. Personal morality is very important, and apostasy (the presence of those who say they belong but do not abide by any of the strictures of the faith) is frequently denounced. However, the Catholic church tends to be more in the spotlight in the U.S. because it is more widely present, and its comprise more of Congress than does the Orthodox church. This leads to inevitable "Church-State" discussions when a public leader is called on the carpet by the Catholic Church for transgressions - the Orthodox Church would likely behave very similarly if it such were the case in the U.S.
what is the difference of the Roman catholic church and the Eastern Orthodox church?
