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*Main differences between the Catholic & Orthodox Churches*1. Regardi ng the place of St. Peter :(a) According to the Catholic Church- St. Peter is the foundation stone of the Church i.e. St.Peter hasauthority over the whole Church.(b) The Orthodox Churches believe the authority is given to all Apostles who are called by Jesus not to

just one Apostle (Ephesians 2:20) built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone ..(c) The Foundation Stone:

Christ is the real Rock: the Rock was Christ (1 Cor inthians 10:4). Peter declared the faith of the Apostles; and the rock is their faith, upon which the Church is built. Peter believed and confessed his faith, signifying the Church is built up of true believers, who are

the rock.2. Regardi ng the place of B ishop:

-> The Catholic Church teaches that the Bishop of Rome is the ambassador of Christ, the head ofthe whole visible church of Peter, and is the symbol of unity of the Church.

-> The Orthodox Churches teach that all Priests are ambassadors of Christ, and that Peter doesnot have any special authority over the Church. Because all Apostles are equal as far as priestly rights areconcerned, there is no need for a visible head for the whole church except Christ, and that the HolySynods are the symbol of unity of the visible Church.3. Divine and human natures in Chr ist:

-> The Catholic Church gives emphasis to the separate divine and human natures in Jesus Christ.-> The Oriental Orthodox Churches, teach the unity of the divine-human nature in Jesus Christ.

We Reject the decision of the Chalcedon Council.4. I mmaculate conception of St. M ary:

-> The Catholic Church teaches that Virgin Mary was born sinless.-> The Orthodox Churches believe that Christ died for humanity, including St. Mary. And she

was made holy for the incarnation of the Son of God, with the annunciation of Gabriel.5. Transubstantiati on:

-> The Catholic Church teaches the dogma of Transubstantiation, which means the Bread andWine in the Holy Eucharist undergoes a change of substance literally into the Body and Blood of Christ,without change of appearance.

-> The Orthodox Churches believe in the real presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in theHoly Eucharist, without change of substance. The Orthodox dogma is called Consubstantiation.

Few others differences are also there which is above our normal understanding, All these are notsilly differences. Remember these are the ancient belief that we follow while others modified the theory.If these foundations are modified it means Bible in interpreted in a wrong way.

*Main differences between the Orthodox and Protestant Churches*1. The Protestant churches believe that the Bible with its 66 books is the basis of Christian faith

leading to salvation. The Orthodox Churches believe the Bible (New Testament) is born within theChurch and its rich tradition.

2. Most of the Protestant groups oppose child baptism while the Orthodox Churches had been practising it since Apostolic times.

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3. The Reformed groups do not accept the Holy Eucharist, prayer for the departed, intercession ofsaints, confession before Priests, all of which are integral to the Orthodox faith.

4. The Orthodox Churches are governed by the Episcopal Synod, whereas the Reformed groupsare administered in their own way.

5. While the Orthodox Churches call Virgin Mary the Mother of God to denote that Child Jesus

is God Incarnate, the Protestant groups avoid the term.6. For the Protestants, the Church is a fellowship of the living; but for the Orthodox Christians,

the Church comprises the living and the departed in Christ.

* Malankara Orthodox Church or some people call us Jacobites?*On coming to India, St. Thomas the Apostle built the first church in Malankara, which is now

synonymous with Kerala. Hence the ancient Church in India came to be known as the MalankaraOrthodox Church.

At a time of religious persecution, Jacob Bardeaus (died in 578 A.D) took upon himself the taskof ordaining Priests and Deacons to strengthen the Eastern Church in the Non-Chal cedonian faith . So theRoman Catholic Church nick-named the Eastern Church as the Jacobite Church, implying it was a newChurch stared by Jacob Bardeaus. The name somehow got stuck and the Orthodox Christians were at onetime called the Jacobites.

Eastern Christianity strives to maintain the tradition it inherited from the East Mediterraneanworld through its contacts with Churches of Persia and Syria.