What are the similarities between the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Chur

What are the similarities between the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church?

Their all catholic

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 called "episcopal polity" - 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
* infant baptism
* liturgical worship forms
* the major sacraments (baptism, marriage, ordination, confession, etc.)
* veneration (not worship) of icons as "windows into heaven"


More on the Orthodox Faith can be found here:
http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/introduction

Since there are so many similarities, its much easier to describe the differences.

The Orthodox Church believes their bishops are equals to the Pope. They do not accept that the bishop of Rome is a higher bishop than their own bishops.

The Orthodox Church believes in the Nicene Creed, but the Pope added the words "and the Son" where it says that the "Holy Spirits proceeds from the Father, 'and the Son'". Those little words were the start of the split with the Catholics.

After the first 5 ecumenical councils the Orthodox Church basically froze. In contrast, the Catholic Church continued to have councils. So the Catholics were able to address things like the role of Mary, and define the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and define purgatory. While these things are not contrary to Orthodox beliefs, the Orthodox have never fully addressed them.