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Catholic vs. Eastern Orthodox

A side-by-side comparison of Catholic and Eastern Orthodox teaching on 16 questions, from Scripture and salvation to baptism, communion and church government.

Catholic

The Catholic Church is the largest Christian body, led by the pope as bishop of Rome and organized around the seven sacraments. It traces its line of bishops to the apostles and teaches that Scripture and Sacred Tradition together carry God’s revelation.

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Eastern Orthodox

The Eastern Orthodox Church is a communion of self-governing churches, such as the Greek, Russian and Antiochian churches, that share one faith and worship. It separated from Rome in the Great Schism of 1054 and treats the early councils and the Church Fathers as its standard.

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At a glance

Where they differ: Books of the Bible; The Trinity; How a person is saved; Communion (the Lord’s Supper); Church government; Death, purgatory and hell.

Where they agree: Authority: Scripture and tradition; Can a saved person fall away?; Predestination and free will; Baptism; Sacraments or ordinances; Clergy and women in ministry; Mary and the saints; Style of worship; The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts; Day of worship.

Side by side

Question	Catholic	Eastern Orthodox
Authority: Scripture and traditionAgree	Scripture and Sacred Tradition together form one deposit of faith. The Magisterium, the teaching office of the pope and bishops, interprets both authoritatively.	Scripture is read within the Church’s Holy Tradition, which includes the ecumenical councils and the Church Fathers. There is no single teaching office like the papacy.
Books of the BibleDiffer	73 books: the 66 Protestant books plus seven deuterocanonical books (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees) and additions to Esther and Daniel.	Uses the Greek Septuagint Old Testament, which includes the Catholic deuterocanonical books and a few more, such as 1 Esdras and Psalm 151. Exact lists differ between Orthodox churches.
The TrinityDiffer	One God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Spirit is said to proceed from the Father and the Son (the filioque clause added to the Nicene Creed in the West).	One God in three persons. The Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, and the Orthodox have rejected the Western addition of the filioque, which is one of the central points of division with Rome.
How a person is savedDiffer	Salvation is God’s gift, received through faith and baptism. The believer cooperates with grace through works of love, and the sacraments are the ordinary channels of that grace. Justification is understood as a real inner renewal, not only a declaration.	Salvation is healing and union with God, called theosis or deification. It begins in baptism and is a lifelong process in which the person freely cooperates with God’s grace.
Can a saved person fall away?Agree	Yes. A person can lose the grace of God through mortal sin, and it is restored through repentance and the sacrament of reconciliation (confession).	Yes. Because salvation is a lifelong cooperation with God, a person can turn away from it, though repentance is always possible.
Predestination and free willAgree	God knows and wills the salvation of the elect, and human free will genuinely cooperates with grace. The church condemns the view that God predestines anyone to damnation.	Stresses free will and synergy, the cooperation of God and man. Predestination is understood as God’s foreknowledge, not a decree that cancels human choice.
BaptismAgree	A sacrament that cleanses original sin and begins new life in Christ. Infants are baptized, usually by pouring water, and adults are baptized after instruction.	A sacrament of new birth, given to infants and adults by triple immersion. The newly baptized are immediately anointed (chrismation) and receive communion, even as infants.
Communion (the Lord’s Supper)Differ	The Eucharist. Bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation), and the whole Christ is truly present under their appearance.	The bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. Orthodoxy holds this as a mystery and does not define how it happens.
Sacraments or ordinancesAgree	Seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders and marriage.	Seven principal “mysteries,” the same as the Catholic list, though Orthodox teachers stress that the whole life of the church is sacramental and do not fix the number rigidly.
Church governmentDiffer	Governed by bishops in communion with the pope, who is the successor of Peter and holds universal authority. Priests serve under bishops.	Governed by bishops, with each national church led by a patriarch or archbishop. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople holds a primacy of honor and some limited canonical prerogatives, but no governing authority over the other churches.
Clergy and women in ministryAgree	Priests and bishops must be men, and priests in the Latin Church are celibate. Women serve as religious sisters, teachers and lay leaders, but not as ordained clergy.	Priests, deacons and bishops are men. Priests may marry before ordination, and bishops are drawn from the celibate ranks.
Mary and the saintsAgree	Mary is honored as Mother of God, and Catholics pray to her and the saints to intercede. Catholic teaching includes the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption and Mary’s perpetual virginity.	Mary is honored above all as the Theotokos (“God-bearer”), and the saints are asked for their prayers. Icons are venerated. Orthodoxy holds Mary’s perpetual virginity and her Dormition (falling asleep) but does not use the Catholic definition of the Immaculate Conception.
Death, purgatory and hellDiffer	Those who die in grace but are not fully purified go through purgatory before heaven. The living pray for the dead. Hell is eternal separation from God.	Orthodoxy has no doctrine of purgatory, but it prays for the dead and believes souls await the final judgment in a foretaste of their eventual state. One influential modern Orthodox view is that hell is the experience of God’s love by those who reject it, but this is not a settled teaching.
Style of worshipAgree	Highly liturgical. The Mass follows a set order, with readings, a homily and the Eucharist at the center. Worship uses vestments, incense and candles on many occasions.	Highly liturgical. The Divine Liturgy is sung, with icons, incense and chanting, often in the traditional language of the country.
The Holy Spirit and spiritual giftsAgree	The Spirit works through the sacraments, and the church recognizes gifts (charisms) of healing and prophecy. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal, begun in 1967, welcomes tongues, but it is not the norm.	The Spirit is active in the sacraments and in the lives of saints and elders. Spiritual gifts are recognized, though tongues are not emphasized.
Day of worshipAgree	Sunday, the day of the resurrection. Catholics are obliged to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days.	Sunday, called “the Lord’s Day,” is the weekly celebration of the resurrection.
Best known for	Papal authority, the seven sacraments, the Mass, Marian devotion and a worldwide network of schools, hospitals and charities.	The Divine Liturgy, icons, monasticism (especially on Mount Athos), the doctrine of theosis and continuity with the ancient church.

“Agree” means the two traditions take the same broad position, although the wording above may still note finer differences. “Varies” means at least one of the two is itself divided on the question, so no single position can be given. These summaries describe typical teaching, and individual churches may vary. For an authoritative statement, consult each denomination’s own confessions.

Catholic vs. Eastern Orthodox

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