Catholicism is one of the three major Christian denominations. There are three denominations in all: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism. The youngest of the three is Protestantism. It arose out of an attempt to reform the Catholic Church by Martin Luther in the 16th century.
The division between Orthodoxy and Catholicism has a rich history. It began with events that took place in 1054. It was then that the legates of Pope Leo IX ruling at the time drew up an act of excommunication against Patriarch Michael Kerullarius of Constantinople and the entire Eastern Church. During the liturgy in the Cathedral of St. Sophia, they placed it on the throne and withdrew. Patriarch Michael responded by convening a council, at which, in turn, he excommunicated the papal ambassadors from the Church. The Pope took their side and since then, the Orthodox Churches have ceased to commemorate the popes in their services, and the Latins have been considered schismatic.
Catholicism has more than a billion followers around the world. At the head of the Catholic Church is the Pope, not the Patriarch, as in Orthodoxy. The Pope is the supreme ruler of the Holy See. Earlier in the Catholic Church, all bishops were so called. Contrary to popular belief about the total infallibility of the Pope, Catholics consider only the Pope’s doctrinal statements and decisions to be infallible. At the moment, Pope Francis is at the head of the Catholic Church. He was elected on March 13, 2013, and is the first Pope in many years to meet with the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church. In 2016, Pope Francis met with Patriarch Kirill to discuss the most important issues for Catholicism and Orthodoxy. In particular, the problem of persecution of Christians, which exists in some regions even today.
Dogmas of the Catholic Church
A number of dogmas of the Catholic Church differ from the corresponding understanding of Gospel truth in Orthodoxy.
Filioque is the dogma that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both God the Father and God the Son.
Celibacy is the dogma of clergy celibacy.
Catholic Sacred Tradition includes the decisions made after the seven Ecumenical Councils and the Papal Epistles.
Purgatory is the dogma of an intermediate “station” between hell and heaven, where one can atone for his sins.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and her bodily ascension.
Communion of the laity with the body of Christ only, of the clergy with the body and blood.
Of course, these are not all the differences from Orthodoxy, but Catholicism recognizes those dogmas that Orthodoxy does not regard as true.
