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Credo Catholic
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| Joined: | Sat May 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Greenville, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 1611 |
| First Name: | Marsha | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Mon Jun 23rd, 2008 03:31 am |
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| I was recently asked by a non-denominational protestant what the difference is between the Catholic church and the Greek Orthodox? I said I wasn't sure but would find out. I think it's more political the way they divided, instead of theological. Is there a thread here that explains this? Is Greek Orthodox included in the "Eastern Church?"
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CajunRick
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Posted: Mon Jun 23rd, 2008 04:49 am |
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Credo Catholic wrote: I was recently asked by a non-denominational protestant what the difference is between the Catholic church and the Greek Orthodox? I said I wasn't sure but would find out. I think it's more political the way they divided, instead of theological. Is there a thread here that explains this? Is Greek Orthodox included in the "Eastern Church?"
Catholic Answers says, "One of the most tragic divisions within Christianity is the one between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches. Both have valid holy orders and apostolic succession through the episcopacy, both celebrate the same sacraments, both believe almost exactly the same theology, and both proclaim the same faith in Christ." This is taken from their excellent tract that explains the differences, which you can find here.
The Orthodox and Oriental Churches are the only groups (besides ourselves) that the Catholic Church calls "Churches". We consider their orders and sacraments legitimate, and under certain circumstances, we permit intercommunion. (The Orthodox, on the other hand, generally do not.) The circumstances have been discussed in several threads so I won't repeat them here.
The term "Eastern Churches" or "Eastern Christians" refers to both the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Orthodox and Oriental Churches. There are some doctrinal differences, but the most serious is a disagreement over the role of the pope. Catholics consider the pope as having immediate authority over the entire Church; the Orthodox consider his position as a primacy of honor rather than of jurisdiction, and they consider each Church (Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, etc.) largely autonomous. As the See of Rome is separated, the primacy of honor is currently given to the patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul).
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