WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
ORTHODOXY AND ROMAN CATHOLICISM?
This question has been asked many times.
Most Orthodox, in attempting to distinguish
between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism,
usually mention the Pope or Purgatory, sometimes
the filioque. Historically, the differences,
however, are far more numerous and
quite profound. Also, in modern times, since
Vatican II of thirty years ago, that major,
if not tragic attempt, to "update"
Roman
Catholicism (e.g., the revision of canon
law), the differences between Orthodoxy and
the followers of the Pope have widened. In
our
present discussion, however, the concern
will be those differences which have grown
since Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism
separated almost a thousand years ago.
1. Faith and Reason
Following the Holy Fathers, Orthodoxy uses
science and philosophy to defend and explain
her Faith. Unlike Roman Catholicism, she
does not build on the results of philosophy
and science. The Church does not seek to
reconcile faith and reason. She makes no
effort to prove by logic or science what
Christ gave His followers to believe. If
physics or biology or chemistry or philosophy
lends
support to the teachings of the Church, she
does not refuse them. However, Orthodoxy
is not intimidated by man's intellectual
accomplishments. She does not bow to them
and change the Christian Faith to make it
consistent with the results of human thought
and science.
St. Basil the Great advised young monks to
use Greek philosophy as a bee uses the flower.
Take only the "honey," ---- the
truth ---
which God has planted in the world to prepare
men for the Coming of the Lord. For example,
the Greeks had a doctrine of the Logos.
The Gospel of John opens, "In the beginning
was the Word (Logos, in Greek). For the pagans,
the Logos was not God, as He is for
Christians; rather he is a principle, a power
or force by which "God: formed and governs
the world. The Fathers pointed to the
similarity between the Logos or Word of the
Bible and the Logos of Greek philosophy as
a sign of Providence. The difference between
them, they attributed to the sinfulness of
men and the weakness of the human intellect.
They remembered the words of the Apostle
Paul, "Beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit, after
the tradition of men, after the rudiments
of the world,
and not after Christ" (Col. 2: 8).
Roman Catholicism, on the other hand, places
a high value on human reason. Its history
shows the consequence of that trust. For
example, in the Latin Middle Ages, the 13th
century, the theologian-philosopher, Thomas
Aquinas, joined "Christianity"
with the
philosophy of Aristotle. From that period
until now, the West has never wavered in
their respect for human wisdom; and it has
radically altered the theology, mysteries
and institutions of the Christian religion.
2. The Development of Doctrine
The Orthodox Church does not endorse the
view that the teachings of Christ have changed
from time to time; rather that Christianity
has remained unaltered from the moment that
the Lord delivered the Faith to the Apostles
(Matt. 28: 18-20). She affirms that "the
faith once delivered to the saints"
(Jude 3) is now what it was in the beginning.
Orthodox of the twentieth century believe
precisely
what was believed by Orthodox of the first,
the fifth, the tenth, the fifteenth centuries.
To be sure, Orthodoxy recognizes external
changes (e.g., vestments of clergy, monastic
habits, new feasts, canons of ecumenical
and regional councils, etc.), but nothing
has been added or subtracted from her Faith.
The external changes have a single purpose:
To express that Faith under new circumstances.
For example, the Bible and divine Services
were translated from Hebrew and Greek
into the language of new lands; or new religious
customs arose to express the ethnic sensibilities
of the converted peoples, etc.;
nevertheless, their has always been "one
faith, one Lord, one baptism" (Eph.
4: 4).
The fundamental witness to the Christian
Tradition is the holy Scriptures; and the
supreme expositors of the Scriptures are
the
divinely inspired Fathers of the Church,
whether the Greek Fathers or Latin Fathers,
Syriac Fathers or Slavic Fathers. Their place
in
the Orthodox religion cannot be challenged.
Their authority cannot be superseded, altered
or ignored.
On the other hand, Roman Catholicism, unable
to show a continuity of faith and in order
to justify new doctrine, erected in the last
century, a theory of "doctrinal development."
Following the philosophical spirit of the
time (and the lead of Cardinal Henry Newman),
Roman Catholic theologians began to define
and teach the idea that Christ only gave
us an "original deposit" of faith,
a "seed," which
grew and matured through the centuries. The
Holy Spirit, they said, amplified the Christian
Faith as the Church moved into new
circumstances and acquired other needs.
Consequently, Roman Catholicism, pictures
its theology as growing in stages, to higher
and more clearly defined levels of
knowledge. The teachings of the Fathers,
as important as they are, belong to a stage
or level below the theology of the Latin
Middle
Ages (Scholasticism), and that theology lower
than the new ideas which have come after
it, such as Vatican II. All the stages are
useful, all are resources; and the theologian
may appeal to the Fathers, for example, but
they may also be contradicted by
something else, something higher or newer.
On this basis, theories such as the dogmas
of "papal infallibility" and "the
immaculate conception" of the Virgin
Mary (about which
we will say more) are justifiably presented
to the Faithful as necessary to their salvation.
In any case, the truth of these dogmas have
always belonged to the Christian Tradition.
They have been present from the beginning
of that Tradition as "hints," seeds
that only
waited for the right time to bloom.
3. God
Roman Catholicism teaches that human reason
can prove that God is; and, even infer that
He is eternal, infinite, good, bodiless,
almighty, all-knowing, etc. He is "most
real being," "true being."
Humans are like Him (analogous), but we are
imperfect being. The
17th century writer, Blaise Pascal, said
it best, the God of Roman Catholicism is
"the God of philosophers and savants,
not the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Following the Holy Fathers, Orthodoxy teaches
that the knowledge of God is planted in human
nature and that is how we know Him
to exist. Otherwise, unless God speaks to
us, human reason cannot know more. The saving
knowledge of God comes by the Savior.
Speaking to His Father, He said, "And
this is life eternal, that they might know
Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
Whom
Thou has sent" (John 17: 3).
Roman Catholicism teaches, also, that, in
the Age to Come, man will, with his intellect
and with the assistance of grace, behold
the
Essence of God. The Fathers declare that
it is impossible to behold God in Himself.
Not even divine grace, will give us such
power.
The saved will see, however, God as the glorified
flesh of Christ.
Historically, the Roman Catholic theology
never made the distinction between God's
Essence (what He is) and His Uncreated
Energies (by what means He acts). St. Gregory
Palamas tried to explain this distinction
through a comparison between God and the
Son. The sun has its rays, God has His Energies
(among them, Grace and Light). By His Energies,
God created, sustains and
governs the universe. By His Energies, He
will transform the creation and deify it,
that is, He will fill the new creation with
His
Energies as water fills a sponge.
Finally, Roman Catholicism teaches that the
Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father
and the Son" (filioque). In so doing,
it spurned the
Apostolic Tradition which always taught that
God the Father is the single Source ("monarchy")
of the Son and the Spirit. Thus, the
West added words to the Nicean Creed "I
believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the
Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father
and the
Son . . . They made this change on the authority
of the Pope, in the 11th century, not any
Council of the whole Church (Ecumenical
Council).
4. Christ
Why did God become man? The Roman Catholic
answer to this question differs from the
teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church.
Following the holy Fathers, Orthodoxy teaches
that Christ, on the Cross, gave "His
life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28).
"For even
the Son of man came not to be served, but
to serve, and to give His life a ransom for
many" (Mark 10:45). The "ransom"
is paid to the
grave. As the Lord revealed to the Prophet
Hosea (Hosea 13:14), "I will ransom
them (us) from the power of the grave, I
will redeem
them from death." In a sense, He pays
the ransom to the devil who has the keeper
of the grave and holds the power of death
(Heb.
2:14).
The man Christ voluntarily gave Himself on
the Cross. He died for all ("a ransom
for many" or "the many").
But He rose from the dead
in His crucified body. Death had no power
to hold Him. It has no power over anyone.
The human race is redeemed from the grave,
from the devil. Free of the devil is to be
free of death and sin. To be free of these,
we become like God (deification) and may
live with
Him forever. According to Roman Catholic
theology, God became man in order to satisfy
the divine Justice which was offended by
the sin of Adam. In other words, by his sin
Adam offended the infinite God and, therefore,
his sin had infinite consequences. It was
not within the power of sinful and finite
man to make amends, for the sin of Adam ("original
sin") passed to us; but it is our obligation
to do so. Only Christ, Who was God and man,
could pay this "debt of honor."
He pays the debt by dying on the Cross. His
death makes up for what Adam had done; the
offense is removed. God is no longer
angry with man. Christ rises from the dead,
the promise or "earnest" of the
believing man's future. For a long time,
the West, whether
among ordinary Catholics or intellectuals,
little attention was given to the idea of
deification. Not much attention was devoted
to the
concepts necessary to understanding this
doctrine.
Roman Catholic theology is customarily legalistic
and philosophical. For example, a "valid"
(legal term) baptism into Christ is the
result of the right intention (having the
same understanding of baptism as the Church)
and using the correct formula or words during
the ceremony or rite. Thus, even an atheist,
under certain conditions, could baptize a
person. "Sprinkling" of water (effusion)
over the
head of the baptized is reasonable and sufficient.
Lately, some Latin theologians are rethinking
the Christian teaching of salvation (soteriology).
They are beginning to take the idea of
deification (baptism as the first step) very
seriously. They rightly insist that it belongs
to Christian tradition, including "St.
Augustine"
and other Latin Fathers. In point of fact,
a revolution in its theology is necessary
if it is to become Scriptural and patristic;
if it ever
hopes to achieve the right understanding
of Christ and His salvation.
5. The Church
The Roman Catholic view of the Church (ecclesiology)
differs from the Orthodox teaching on this
subject in several ways. The West
teach that the visible head of the Church
is the Pope, the successor to St. Peter,
who was appointed to that sacred position
by the
Lord Himself with the words, "Thou art
Peter and upon this rock I shall build my
Church . . . " (Matt. 16:18). The Pope
is, then, "the
Bishop of the Catholic Church," her
teacher, the vicar (agent, deputy) of Christ
on earth. He is the interpreter of the Christian
Tradition. When he speaks for the whole Church
(ex cathedra), the Holy Spirit does not permit
him to err. He is, therefore, infallible
on matters of morals and doctrine. Other
bishops are his lieutenants. He is the symbol
of the episcopate's unity.
The Orthodox Church teaches that all bishops
are equal. To be sure, there are different
ranks of bishops (patriarch, archbishop,
metropolitan, bishop); nevertheless, a bishop
is a bishop. Such differences apply to the
administration of a church or group of
churches, not to the nature of the bishop.
The president of a synod of bishops is called
archbishop (Greek custom) or metropolitan
(Russian custom). According to Latin ecclesiology,
each local parish is part of the universal
or whole Church. The totality of Catholic
parishes form the Body of Christ on earth.
This visible Body has a visible head, the
Pope. This idea of the Church implies that
the
local parish has two heads: the Pope and
the local bishop. But a body with two visible
heads is a monster. Also, the local bishop
seems stripped of his apostolic authority
if the Pope may contradict his orders. Indeed,
he cannot become a bishop unless the Pope
allows it.
Orthodoxy teaches that every bishop, "the
living icon of Christ," and his flock
constitute the Church in a certain place;
or, as St.
Ignatius the God-bearer says, the Church
of Christ is in the bishop, his priests and
deacons, with the people, surrounding the
Eucharist in the true faith. All bishops
and their flocks so constituted, together
composing the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church. In other words, there can be no Church
without a bishop, no bishop without the Eucharist,
and no bishop or Eucharist
without the true faith, the Apostolic Faith,
"the faith once delivered to the saints."
(Jude 3) "The Church is in the bishop
and the
bishop in the Church," wrote St. Cyprian
of Carthage. Put another way, there is no
Church where there is no bishop, and there
is no
bishop where there is no succession of bishops
from the Apostles (apostolic succession);
and there can be no succession from the
bishops without the faith of the Apostles.
Also, there can be no Church without the
Eucharist, the Sacrament of unity, because
the
Church is formed through it. The Body and
Blood of Christ unites the Faithful to God:
This fellowship or koinonia is the whole
purpose
of Christianity. At the same time, there
can be no Eucharist - and no other Mysteries
- without a bishop who teaches the true faith
to
the baptized.
6. The Holy Canons
A canon is a "rule" or "guide"
for governing The Church. Canons were composed
by the Apostles, the Fathers, the local or
regional
and general or ecumenical Councils (in Latin)
or Synods (in Greek). Only the bishop, as
head of the church, applies them. He may
use them "strictly" (akreveia)
or "leniently" (economia). "Strictness"
is the norm. Unlike the West, the Orthodox
Church does not
think of canons as laws, that is, as regulating
human relationships or securing human rights;
rather, Orthodoxy views canons as the
means of forging the "new man"
or "new creature" through obedience.
They are training in virtue. They are meant
to produce holiness.
The West continue to change their canons,
ignoring the old for the new. Not more than
two decades ago, Rome revised its Canon
Law. It composes new canons to keep up with
the times. On the other hand, Orthodoxy,
albeit adding canons from time to time and
place to place, never discards the old ones,
for they, too, are inspired by the Holy Spirit.
In any case, human problems and spiritual
needs do not really change. New canons are
generally simple refinements of old canons.
7. The Mysteries
Both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics
recognize at least seven Sacraments or Mysteries:
The Eucharist, Baptism,
Chrismation, Ordination, Penance, Marriage
and Holy Oil for the sick (which the West
has traditionally called "Extreme Unction"
and
reserved for the dying). Concerning the Sacraments
in general, the Orthodox teach that their
material elements (bread, wine, water,
chrism, etc.) become grace-filled by the
calling of the Holy Spirit (epiklesis). Roman
Catholicism believes that the Sacraments
are
effective on account of the priest who acts
"in the person of Christ." At the
same time, the West interprets the Sacraments
in a legal
and philosophical way. Hence, in the Eucharist,
using the right material things (bread and
wine) and pronouncing the correct formula,
changes their substance (transubstantiation)
into the Body and Blood of Christ. The visible
elements or this and all Sacraments are
merely "signs" of the presence
of God.
The Orthodox call the Eucharist "the
mystical Supper." What the priest and
the faithful consume is mysteriously the
Body and Blood
of Christ. We receive Him under the forms
of bread and wine, because it would be wholly
repugnant to eat "real" human flesh
and
drink "real" human blood. According
to Roman Catholic teachings about the Sacraments
(mystagogy), a person becomes a member
of the Church through Baptism. "Original
sin" is washed away. Orthodoxy teaches
the same, but the idea of an "original
sin" or
"inherited guilt" (from Adam) has
no part in her thinking. More will be said
later on this matter.
Roman Catholics speak of "Confirmation"
and the Orthodox of "Chrismation."
"Confirmation" is separated from
the Baptism and is
performed by the bishop and not the priest;
but "Chrismation" is performed
with Baptism by a priest who has received
"chrism" from
the bishop. The Sacrament of "Confirmation"
and "Chrismation" both mean the
giving of the Holy Spirit. The West's delay
"confirming" (with "first
communion") baptized infants not more
than seven years, that is, until the time
they have some appreciation
of the gift of God.
The Orthodox Church links Baptism, Chrismation
and Holy Communion, first the threefold immersion
into sanctified water, the "new
Christian" rising from the water into
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit which leads
to union with God. Such is the purpose of
membership in the Church. Ordination is the
ceremony which, by the grace and calling
of God, elevates a man to the priesthood.
The
sacerdotal priesthood has three orders: Bishop,
presbyter (elder) and deacon. All Christians
are priests by virtue of the baptism into
Christ Who is priest, prophet and king -
for which reason St. Peter refers to the
Church as a "royal priesthood"
(I Pet. 2:9). The
bishop is the "high priest," the
"president of the Eucharist and all
the Mysteries. Presbyters and deacons are
his assistants. The
West holds that the presbyter acts "in
the person of Christ" when, in fact,
he does no more than represent the bishop
who is "the
living icon of Christ."
Strictly speaking, Penance - sometimes called
"Confession" - should only be received
by the believer as a means of re-admission
to
the Church. For a long time, Penance, or
confession of sins, prayer and fasting was
employed only for those who had been expelled
from the Church ("excommunication")
or who had voluntarily departed (apostasy).
The present practice is to receive Penance
from a
bishop or presbyter for some serious sin
before receiving Holy Communion. Both the
Orthodox and the Roman Catholics consider
Penance as a Sacrament. Each has different
customs surrounding it, such as the confessional
booth so common among the latter.
For Roman Catholics, Holy Matrimony is a
binding, ostensibly an unbreakable, contract.
The man and the woman marry each other
with the "church" (bishop or priest)
standing as a witness to it. Hence, no divorce
under any conditions - no divorce but annulment
of
the marriage contract if some canonical defect
in it may be found which renders it null
and void (as if it never took place). In
Orthodoxy, Holy Matrimony is not a contract;
it is the mysterious or mystical union of
a man and woman - in imitation of Christ
and
the Church - in the presence of "the
whole People of God" through her bishop
or his presbyter. Divorce is likewise forbidden,
but, as a
concession to human weakness, it is allowed
for adultery. Second and third marriages
are permitted - not as a legal matter - out
of
mercy, a further concession to human weakness
(e.g., after the death of a spouse). This
Sacrament, as all Sacraments or
Mysteries, is completed by the Eucharist,
as St. Dionysius the Areopagite says.
As already mentioned, the West conceives
Extreme Unction as the final Sacrament, the
Sacrament which prepares the believer for
death, purgatory and the Age to Come. In
Orthodoxy, Holy Oil is received for healing.
Often sickness is caused by sin; therefore,
Holy Oil or Unction involved Confession of
sins. At the end of the rite, the anointed
receives Holy Communion. The Orthodox Church
also recognizes kingship, monasticism, blessings
of the water, etc. as Mysteries.
8. The Nature of Man
Human nature was created good, even in communion
with the blessed Trinity which made "him."
Male and female were created "in
the likeness and image of God" (Gen.
1:26): "likeness" in virtue; "image"
meaning to rule the earth rationally, to
act wisely and freely.
The woman was made as a "help-meet"
to the man (Gen. 2:18; I Cor. 11:8-9). They
were to live together in harmony and mutual
respect. So far Roman Catholicism agrees
with the Church; it differs with Orthodoxy
on the nature of man's fall and the human
condition. Following Augustine of Hippo,
the West teaches that Adam and Eve sinned
against God. The guilt of their sin has been
inherited by every man, woman and child after
them. All humanity is liable for their "original
sin." Following the Holy Fathers, the
Orthodox Church holds that when Adam sinned
against God, he introduced death to the world.
Since all men are born of the same
human stock as Adam, all men inherit death.
Death means that the life of every human
being comes to an end (mortality); but also
that death generates in us the passions (anger,
hate, lust, greed, etc.), disease and aging.
Roman Catholicism has ordinarily paid little
attention to the Orthodox conception of man
as slave to death through his passions as
manipulated by the devil. In fact, the devil
has been pushed to the background. Thus,
the Crucifixion has been understood by the
West as Christ suffering punishment for the
human race ("vicarious atonement"),
when, in truth, Christ suffered and died
on the Cross
to conquer the devil and destroy his power,
death. In any case, Orthodoxy has always
put great stress on "mastery of the
passions"
through prayer (public worship and private
devotions), fasting (self-denial) and voluntary
obedience and regular participation in the
Eucharist (sometimes called "the Mysteries").
Thus, the highest form of Christian living
("the supreme philosophy") is monasticism.
Here all human energy is devoted to struggle
for perfection.
Monasticism, in this sense, among Roman Catholics
has all but disappeared. As a "supernatural
religion" so-called, it has become
increasingly "this-worldly." Therefore,
it has abandoned its medieval heritage, and
its understanding of man, his nature and
destiny
has become increasingly secular.
9. The Mother of God
The doctrine of the place and person of the
Virgin Mary in the Church is called "mariology."
Both Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism
believe she is "Mother of God"
(Theotokos, Deipare) and "the Ever-Virgin
Mary." However, the Orthodox reject
the Roman Catholic
"dogma of the Immaculate Conception
of the Virgin Mary," which was defined
as "of the faith" by Pope Pius
IX, on the 8th of
December 1854. This dogma holds that from
the first instant of her conception, the
Blessed Virgin Mary was, by a most singular
grace and privilege of Almighty God, and
in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the
Redeemer of the human race, preserved from
all
stain of Original Sin. It is a doctrine revealed
by God, and therefore to be firmly and steadfastly
believed by all the faithful (from the
Bull Ineffabilis Deus).
Such a theory has no basis in the Scriptures
nor the Fathers. It contains many ideas (such
as "the merits of Christ") likewise
without
apostolic foundation. The idea that the Lord
and His Saints produced more grace than necessary.
This excess may be applied to
others, even those in purgatory (see below).
But to return: the Church does not accept
the idea that the Mother of God was born
with
the (inherited) guilt of Adam; no one is.
She did, however, inherit the mortality which
comes to all on account of Adam's Fall.
Therefore, there is no need to do what Latin
theologians have done. There is no reason
to invent a theory to support the dogma of
the
Immaculate Conception. There is no need to
teach that, on account of "the merits
of Christ," the Holy Spirit was able
to prevent her
from inheriting the guilt of Adam.
In fact, she was born like every other human
being. The Holy Spirit prepared the Virgin
Mary for her role as the Mother of God. She
was filled with the Uncreated Energy of the
Holy Spirit of God in order that she might
be a worthy vessel for the birth of Christ.
Nevertheless, several of the Fathers observed
that before the Resurrection of her Son,
she had sinned. St. John Chrysostom
mentions the Wedding at Cana where she presumed
to instruct Him (John 2:3-4). Here was proof
of her mortality.
Receiving the Holy Spirit once more at Pentecost,
she was able to die without sin. Because
of her special role in the Divine Plan
("economy" or "dispensation"),
she was taken into the heavens, body and
soul. She now sits at the foot of her Son,
making
intercession for all those who implore her
mercy. The Orthodox Church honors the miracle
of her "assumption" with a feast
on 15
August; likewise, the followers of the Pope.
Both also believe in the intercessions of
the Virgin Mary and all the Saints. Such
intercessions reflect the unity of the Church
in heaven and the Church on earth.
Both also believe that there is a sense in
which the Mother of God is the Church. The
Church is the Body of Christ. Those who
belong to the Church are identified with
Him. But He is also our "brother"
(Rom. 8:29). If Christ is our brother, then,
the Virgin Mary is
our mother. But the Church is our mother
through Baptism. Therefore, the Virgin Mary
is the Church.
10. Icons
The icon is an artistic depiction of Christ,
the Mother of God and the Saints. God the
Father cannot be painted, because He has
never been seen. God the Holy Spirit has
appeared as a dove and as "tongues of
fire." He may be shown in this way.
God the Son
became a man, and He may be painted in His
human form. Icons are more than sacred pictures.
Everything about them is
theological. For example, they are always
flat, flat so that we who inhabit the physical
world will understand that the world of the
spirit where Christ, His Mother, the angels,
the saints, and the departed dwell, is a
world of mystery which cannot be penetrated
by
our five senses.
Customarily, Roman Catholicism has historically
employed statues in its worship. The statues
are life-like and three-dimensional.
They seem to imitate the art of ancient Greece.
Both arts are naturalistic. The West portrays
Christ, the Mother of God, the saints,
even the angels, as if they were in a state
of nature. This "naturalism" stems
from the medieval idea that "grace perfects
nature."
The person or persons are represented on
the icon as deified. He or she is not a perfect
human being, but much more: They are
transfigured and glorified. They have a new
and grace-filled humanity. Important to remember
is the Latin theory of grace: It is
created by God for man. Orthodoxy teaches,
as we recall, that grace is uncreated, and
impacts all creation. It is a mysterious
extension of the Divine Nature. Orthodox
iconography reflects this truth, even as
Roman Catholic statues reflect its idea of
grace.
Again, icons are a necessary part of Orthodox
piety. The Orthodox honor and kiss icons,
a devotion which passes from the icon to
the person or persons represented in them.
Icons are not idols and the Orthodox do not
worship them. Worship is reserved for God
alone. The statues set up in Roman Catholic
temples are not commonly venerated; they
are visual aids and decorations.
11. Purgatory
Purgatory is a condition of the departed
before the final judgment. According to Roman
Catholic theology, those souls destined for
heaven (with a few exceptions) must endure
a state of purgation, or purification. They
must be cleansed of the sins committed on
earth. The rest go to hell for eternal punishment.
Moreover, from a "treasury" of
merits or extra grace accumulated by the
virtue of
Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints, "indulgences"
may be granted. The grace is applied to those
in purgatory in order to shorten
their time there.
Orthodoxy teaches that, after the soul leaves
the body, it journeys to the abode of the
dead (Hades). There are exceptions, such
as
the Theotokos, who was borne by the angels
directly into heaven. As for the rest, we
must remain in this condition of waiting.
Because some have a prevision of the glory
to come and others foretaste their suffering,
the state of waiting is called "Particular
Judgment."
When Christ returns, the soul rejoins its
risen body to be judged by Him. The "good
and faithful servant" will inherit eternal
life, the
unfaithful with the unbeliever will spend
eternity in hell. Their sins and their unbelief
will torture them as fire.
12. Other Differences
There are other minor differences between
the Orthodox Church and Roman Catholicism.
The Orthodox do not fast on Saturday
(except Holy Saturday) or Sunday. Roman Catholics
experience no such restriction. Orthodox
do not kneel on Sunday; Roman
Catholics do. Orthodox have no "Stations
of The Cross;" Roman Catholics do.
Orthodox presbyters and deacons may marry
before ordination; Roman Catholic clergy
are celibate.
Orthodox worship towards the East; Roman
Catholics, not necessarily.
In the Orthodox Liturgy, the "bread"
of the Eucharist is "leavened"
(zyme); in the Roman Catholic Mass it is
"unleavened" (azyme).
The Orthodox faithful receive both the "body"
and "blood of Christ" in Holy Communion;
Roman Catholics receive only the "bread,"
a
wafer.
There are no orders of Orthodox monks (male
and female) as there is among Roman Catholics
(Jesuits, Dominicans, Benedictines,
Cistericans, etc.). More recently, many Roman
Catholic monks and nuns have put away their
traditional habits.
Orthodox clergy wear beards; Papist clergy
are generally beardless.
There are many other differences, often the
product of culture. Also, it is noteworthy
that many of these differences, whether profound
or not, do not apply to the contemporary
religious situation. Ecumenism has brought
great confusion, so that it is not always
easy to
say with any precision what Roman Catholics
believe, while so-called Orthodox have abandoned
the traditional teachings of the
Church.
