This article will focus on what Catholicism is and who are Catholics. This direction is considered one of the branches of Christianity, formed due to a large split in this religion, which occurred in 1054.
Who are Catholics? Catholicism is in many ways similar to Orthodoxy, but there are differences. From other currents in Christianity, the Catholic religion differs in the peculiarities of the dogma, cult rites. Catholicism has replenished the "Creed" with new dogmas.
Distribution
Catholicism is widespread in Western European (France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Italy) and Eastern European (Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, partly Latvia and Lithuania) countries, as well as in the states of South America, where it is professed by the vast majority population. There are also Catholics in Asia and Africa, but the influence of the Catholic religion is not significant here. Catholics in Russia are a minority compared to Orthodox Christians. There are about 700 thousand of them. The Catholics of Ukraine are more numerous. There are about 5 million of them.
Name
The word "Catholicism" has a Greekorigin and in translation means universality or universality. In the modern sense, this term refers to the Western branch of Christianity, which adheres to the apostolic traditions. Apparently, the church was understood as something general and universal. Ignatius of Antioch spoke about this in 115. The term "Catholicism" was officially introduced at the first Council of Constantinople (381). The Christian Church was recognized as one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
The Origin of Catholicism
The term "church" began to appear in written sources (letters of Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna) from the second century. The word was synonymous with municipality. At the turn of the second and third centuries, Irenaeus of Lyon applied the word "church" to Christianity in general. For individual (regional, local) Christian communities, it was used with the appropriate adjective (for example, the Church of Alexandria).
In the second century, Christian society was divided into the laity and the clergy. In turn, the latter were divided into bishops, priests and deacons. It remains unclear how the management in the communities was carried out - collegially or individually. Some experts believe that the government was initially democratic, but eventually became monarchical. The clergy were governed by a Spiritual Council headed by a bishop. This theory is supported by the letters of Ignatius of Antioch, in which he mentions bishops as leaders of Christian municipalities in Syria and Asia Minor. Over time, the Spiritual Council became only an advisorybody. And only the bishop had real power in a single province.
In the second century, the desire to preserve apostolic traditions contributed to the emergence of church hierarchy and structure. The Church was supposed to protect the faith, dogmas and canons of Holy Scripture. All this, plus the influence of the syncretism of the Hellenistic religion, led to the formation of Catholicism in its ancient form.
The final formation of Catholicism
After the division of Christianity in 1054 into the western and eastern branches, they began to be called Catholic and Orthodox. After the Reformation of the sixteenth century, more and more often in everyday life, the word "Roman" began to be added to the term "Catholic". From the point of view of religious studies, the concept of "Catholicism" covers many Christian communities that adhere to the same doctrine as the Catholic Church, and are subject to the authority of the Pope. There are also Uniate and Eastern Catholic churches. As a rule, they left the power of the Patriarch of Constantinople and became subordinate to the Pope of Rome, but retained their dogmas and rituals. Examples are Greek Catholics, the Byzantine Catholic Church and others.
Basic dogmas and postulates
To figure out who the Catholics are, you need to pay attention to the basic postulates of their dogma. The main tenet of Catholicism, which distinguishes it from other areas of Christianity, is the thesis that the Pope is infallible. However, many cases are known when the Popes, in the struggle for power and influence, entered intodishonorable alliances with large feudal lords and kings, were obsessed with greed and constantly increased their we alth, and also interfered in politics.
The next postulate of Catholicism is the dogma of purgatory, approved in 1439 at the Council of Florence. This teaching is based on the fact that the human soul after death goes to purgatory, which is an intermediate level between hell and heaven. There she can, with the help of various trials, be cleansed of sins. Relatives and friends of the deceased can help his soul cope with trials through prayers and donations. It follows from this that the fate of a person in the afterlife depends not only on the righteousness of his life, but also on the financial well-being of his loved ones.
An important postulate of Catholicism is the thesis of the exclusive status of the clergy. According to him, without resorting to the services of the clergy, a person cannot independently earn God's mercy. A priest among Catholics has serious advantages and privileges compared to an ordinary flock. According to the Catholic religion, only the clergy have the right to read the Bible - this is their exclusive right. Other believers are forbidden. Only editions written in Latin are considered canonical.
Catholic dogma necessitates the systematic confession of believers before the clergy. Everyone is obliged to have his own confessor and constantly report to him about his own thoughts and actions. Without systematic confession, the salvation of the soul is impossible. This condition allowsthe Catholic clergy to penetrate deeply into the personal life of their flock and control every step of a person. Constant confession allows the church to have a serious impact on society, and especially on women.
Catholic sacraments
The main task of the Catholic Church (the community of believers as a whole) is to preach Christ to the world. The sacraments are considered visible signs of the invisible grace of God. In fact, these are the actions established by Jesus Christ that must be performed for the good and salvation of the soul. There are seven sacraments in Catholicism:
- baptism;
- chrismation (confirmation);
- eucharist, or communion (the first communion among Catholics is taken at the age of 7-10);
- sacrament of repentance and reconciliation (confession);
- unction;
- priesthood sacrament (ordination);
- the sacrament of marriage.
According to some experts and researchers, the roots of the sacraments of Christianity go back to pagan mysteries. However, this point of view is actively criticized by theologians. According to the latter, in the first centuries AD. e. some rites were borrowed from Christianity by pagans.
What is the difference between Catholics and Orthodox Christians
The common thing in Catholicism and Orthodoxy is that in both of these branches of Christianity the church is a mediator between man and God. Both churches agree that the Bible is the main document and doctrine of Christianity. However, there are many differences and disagreements between Orthodoxy and Catholicism.
Both directions agree that there is oneGod in three incarnations: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (trinity). But the origin of the latter is interpreted in different ways (the Filioque problem). The Orthodox profess the "Symbol of Faith", which proclaims the procession of the Holy Spirit only "from the Father". Catholics, on the other hand, add “and the Son” to the text, which changes the dogmatic meaning. Greek Catholics and other Eastern Catholic denominations have retained the Orthodox version of the Creed.
Both Catholics and Orthodox understand that there is a difference between the Creator and creation. However, according to Catholic canons, the world has a material character. He was created by God out of nothing. There is nothing divine in the material world. While Orthodoxy suggests that the divine creation is the incarnation of God himself, it comes from God, and therefore he is invisibly present in his creations. Orthodoxy believes that it is possible to touch God through contemplation, that is, to approach the divine through consciousness. Catholicism does not accept this. Another difference between Catholics and Orthodox is that the former consider it possible to introduce new dogmas. There is also a doctrine of "good deeds and merit" of Catholic saints and the church. On its basis, the Pope can forgive the sins of his flock and is the vicar of God on Earth. In matters of religion, he is considered infallible. This dogma was adopted in 1870.
Differences in rituals. How Catholics are baptized
There are differences in the rituals, the design of churches, etc. Even the Orthodox prayer procedure is performed not quite the same as the Catholics pray. Although at first glance it seems that the difference is in some small things. To feel the spiritual difference, it is enough to compare two icons, Catholic and Orthodox. The first is more like a beautiful painting. In Orthodoxy, icons are more sacred. Many are interested in the question of how to be baptized by Catholics and Orthodox? In the first case, they are baptized with two fingers, and in Orthodoxy - with three. In many Eastern Catholic rites, the thumb, index and middle fingers are placed together. How are Catholics baptized? A less common way is to use an open palm with fingers pressed tightly and the thumb slightly bent towards the inside. This symbolizes the openness of the soul to the Lord.
The fate of man
The Catholic Church teaches that people are weighed down by original sin (with the exception of the Virgin Mary), that is, in every person from birth there is a grain of Satan. Therefore, people need the grace of salvation, which can be obtained by living by faith and doing good works. The knowledge of the existence of God is, despite human sinfulness, accessible to the human mind. This means that people are responsible for their actions. Every person is loved by God, but in the end the Last Judgment awaits him. Particularly righteous and charitable people are ranked among the Saints (canonized). The Church keeps a list of them. The process of canonization is preceded by beatification (canonization). Orthodoxy also has a cult of the Saints, but most Protestant denominations reject it.
Indulgences
In Catholicism, an indulgence is a full or parti althe release of a person from the punishment for his sins, as well as from the corresponding expiatory action imposed on him by the priest. Initially, the basis for receiving an indulgence was the performance of some good deed (for example, a pilgrimage to holy places). Then it was the donation of a certain amount to the church. During the Renaissance, there were serious and widespread abuses, which consisted in the distribution of indulgences for money. As a result, this provoked the beginning of protests and a reform movement. In 1567, Pope Pius V banned the issuance of indulgences for money and material resources in general.
Celibacy in Catholicism
Another serious difference between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church is that all the clergy of the latter take a vow of celibacy (celibacy). Catholic clergy are not allowed to marry or have sexual intercourse at all. All attempts to marry after receiving the diaconate are considered invalid. This rule was announced during the time of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604), and was finally approved only in the 11th century.
Eastern churches rejected the Catholic variant of celibacy at Trull Cathedral. In Catholicism, the vow of celibacy applies to all clergy. Initially, small church ranks had the right to marry. Married men could be initiated into them. However, Pope Paul VI abolished them, replacing them with the positions of reader and acolyte, which ceased to be associated with the status of a cleric. He also introduced the institution of lifedeacons (who are not going to advance further in the church career and become priests). These may include married men.
As an exception, married men who converted to Catholicism from various branches of Protestantism, where they held the ranks of pastors, clerics, etc., can be ordained to the priesthood. However, the Catholic Church does not recognize their priesthood.
Now the obligation of celibacy for all Catholic clergy is the subject of heated debate. In many European countries and the United States, some Catholics believe that the obligatory vow of celibacy should be abolished for non-monastic clergy. However, Pope John Paul II did not support such a reform.
Celibacy in Orthodoxy
In Orthodoxy, clergy can be married if the marriage was concluded before ordination to the priestly or deaconate. However, only monks of the small schema, widowed priests or celibates can become bishops. In the Orthodox Church, a bishop must be a monk. Only archimandrites can be ordained to this rank. Bishops cannot simply be celibates and married white clergy (non-monastics). Sometimes, as an exception, episcopal ordination is possible for representatives of these categories. However, before that, they must accept the small monastic schema and receive the rank of archimandrite.
Inquisition
To the question of who the Catholics of the medieval period are, you can get an idea by familiarizing yourself with the activities of such a church body as the Inquisition. She wasjudicial institution of the Catholic Church, which was intended to combat heresy and heretics. In the twelfth century, Catholicism faced the rise of various opposition movements in Europe. One of the main ones was Albigensianism (Cathars). The popes have placed the responsibility of fighting them on the bishops. They were supposed to identify heretics, try them and turn them over to secular authorities for execution. The highest punishment was burning at the stake. But the episcopal activity was not very effective. Therefore, Pope Gregory IX created a special church body, the Inquisition, to investigate the crimes of heretics. Initially directed against the Cathars, it soon turned against all heretical movements, as well as witches, sorcerers, blasphemers, infidels, and so on.
Inquisitorial Tribunal
Inquisitors were recruited from members of various monastic orders, primarily from the Dominicans. The Inquisition reported directly to the Pope. Initially, the tribunal was headed by two judges, and from the 14th century - by one, but it consisted of legal consultants who determined the degree of "heretics". In addition, the court employees included a notary (who certified the testimony), witnesses, a doctor (monitored the defendant's condition during executions), a prosecutor and an executioner. The inquisitors were given part of the confiscated property of heretics, so there is no need to talk about the honesty and fairness of their trial, since it was beneficial for them to find a person guilty of heresy.
Inquisitorial procedure
There were two inquisitorial investigationstypes: general and individual. In the first, a large part of the population of any locality was surveyed. At the second time, a certain person was called through the curate. In those cases when the summoned did not appear, he was excommunicated from the church. The man swore an oath to sincerely tell everything he knew about heretics and heresy. The course of the investigation and proceedings were kept in the deepest secrecy. It is known that the inquisitors widely used torture, which was allowed by Pope Innocent IV. At times, their cruelty was condemned even by secular authorities.
The accused were never given the names of witnesses. Often they were excommunicated, murderers, thieves, perjurers - people whose testimony was not taken into account even by the secular courts of that time. The defendant was deprived of the right to have a lawyer. The only possible form of defense was an appeal to the Holy See, although it was formally prohibited by bull 1231. People who had once been convicted by the Inquisition could at any moment be brought to justice again. Even death did not save him from the investigation. If the deceased was found guilty, then his ashes were taken out of the grave and burned.
Punishment system
The list of punishments for heretics was established by bulls 1213, 1231, as well as by the decrees of the Third Lateran Council. If a person confessed to heresy and repented already during the process, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The Tribunal had the right to shorten the term. However, such sentences were rare. At the same time, the prisoners were kept in extremely cramped cells, often shackled, ate water and bread. During the lateIn the Middle Ages, this sentence was replaced by hard labor in the galleys. Recalcitrant heretics were sentenced to be burned at the stake. If a person turned himself in before the start of the process over him, then various church punishments were imposed on him: excommunication, pilgrimage to holy places, donations to the church, interdict, various types of penances.
Catholic fasting
Fasting among Catholics is to abstain from excesses, both physical and spiritual. In Catholicism, there are the following fasting periods and days:
- Lent for Catholics. It lasts 40 days before Easter.
- Advent. The four Sundays before Christmas, believers should reflect on his forthcoming arrival and be spiritually focused.
- All Fridays.
- Dates of some major Christian holidays.
- Quatuor anni tempora. It translates as "four seasons". These are special days of repentance and fasting. The believer must fast once every season on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
- Fasting before communion. The believer must abstain from food one hour before communion.
Requirements for fasting in Catholicism and Orthodoxy are mostly similar.
