Catholicism

Catholicism – the beliefs, practices, and system of government of any Catholic Church. Catholicism is one of three greatest branches of Christianity. Those braches are Catholicism, derivate of it Protestantism and Orthodoxy. Catholicism appeared in conditions of aggravation of political, economical and cultural differences between western and eastern parts of roman Imperia. The main factor that resulted schism of church into western and eastern was power struggle of priesthood. But it wasn't the only factor, differences between western and eastern European vision of Christianity also influenced and provoked this schism. Since so, Catholicism and Orthodoxy are considered as western and eastern churches appropriately.

Catholicism takes for its basis (just like the Orthodoxy does) the Holy Scripture and the Holy Tradition, but unlike the Orthodoxy Catholicism follows not only after regulations of seven first General Councils but also fallows the regulations of all posterior. Catholicism is distinctive by strict centralization of govern. Pope is the only head of the Church, he sets doctrines of faith and moral, he is provided with supreme power that is even higher than the General Councils'' one. Such situation gives Pope an opportunity to interpret Bible on his own way, as it's not a secret that Bible's language is rather indistinct and one is not able to understand it himself. Pope is elected by Princes of the Church, according to hierarchy of the church cardinals are the people of second importance. The ceremony of election is called conclave and starts on the eighteenth day after Pope's death. The Princes of the Church gather at special room and the doorway of that room is bricked up so that they can't live the room until they chose a new Pope. In case if ceremony of election takes to much time watchers reduce quantity of food for cardinals in order to rouse them make a decision. The candidacy of Pope is considered elected in case if two thirds of cardinal voted for him.

The Catholic ceremony of christening differs from the Orthodoxy one. The words pronounced by Orthodoxy priest during ceremony are concentrated on the fact that baptism is performed by God, that it is God who accepts person to his kingdom and it is God who christen person. Unlike Orthodoxy ceremony words pronounced by priest during Catholicism ceremony concentrated on priest itself, meaning that it's priest who accept person to the God's kingdom and it is priest who christen person. So, as you can see the main idea of Catholicism is that church is not only an intermediary between God and human but that church is the main link in the chain of serving for God, and one may not consider himself appropriate to God if he neglects rules of church.