Roman Catholicism

Roman Catholicism examined on its own terms first — from the Catechism, the councils, and papal documents — and then weighed against the faith of the undivided Church. The disagreements that matter here are real ones about authority, and they deserve to be stated accurately before they are answered.

38 resources in this topic.

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Origins & History

16 resources

• Why the Sale of Indulgences Drew Fierce Criticism
• The Sacred Heart, Divine Mercy, and Catholic Devotions: Apostolic Faith or Later Spiritual Development?
• Uniatism: How Did Eastern Churches Enter Communion With Rome—and Why Is It Controversial?
• Eastern Catholic Churches: Orthodox in Worship, Catholic in Communion With Rome?
• Vatican I and Ultramontanism: How Strong Did the Papacy Become in 1870?
• Unam Sanctam: Did Pope Boniface VIII Teach That Everyone Must Submit to the Pope to Be Saved?
• “Outside the Church There Is No Salvation”: What Did Catholics Historically Mean?
• Why Seven Sacraments? Are the Catholic Sacraments Biblical and Ancient?
• Vatican II: Did the Catholic Church Change Its Doctrine?
• Priestly Celibacy: Apostolic Tradition or Later Catholic Discipline?
• The Rosary: Where Did It Come From, and Is It Biblical?
• Praying to Saints: Is the Catholic Practice Biblical and Early Christian?
• The Council of Florence: Did the Orthodox Church Accept Union With Rome?
• Did the Early Church Believe in Papal Supremacy?
• The Filioque: Why “And the Son” Divided East and West
• Papal Supremacy

Roman Catholic Beliefs & Identity

13 resources

• Catholic Annulments vs. Orthodox Divorce and Remarriage: What Does Christian Marriage Actually Permit?
• The Sacred Heart, Divine Mercy, and Catholic Devotions: Apostolic Faith or Later Spiritual Development?
• Original Sin vs. Ancestral Sin: Where Catholicism and Orthodoxy Really Differ
• Original Sin vs. Ancestral Sin: Where Catholicism and Orthodoxy Really Differ
• Priestly Celibacy: Apostolic Tradition or Later Catholic Discipline?
• Merit and Grace: Does Catholicism Teach That We Earn Salvation?
• Faith, Works, and Justification: What the Council of Trent Actually Taught
• Mortal and Venial Sin: Does the Bible Support the Catholic Distinction?
• Development of Doctrine: Can Later Catholic Dogmas Still Be Apostolic?
• Papal Infallibility
• The Assumption of Mary as Dogma
• Purgatory
• Papal Supremacy

Papacy & Roman Primacy

11 resources

• The Immaculate Conception of Mary: Why Rome Defined It — and Why Orthodoxy Objects
• Eastern Catholic Churches: Orthodox in Worship, Catholic in Communion With Rome?
• Vatican I and Ultramontanism: How Strong Did the Papacy Become in 1870?
• Unam Sanctam: Did Pope Boniface VIII Teach That Everyone Must Submit to the Pope to Be Saved?
• “Outside the Church There Is No Salvation”: What Did Catholics Historically Mean?
• What Is the Catholic Magisterium? How Rome Understands Church Authority
• The Council of Florence: Did the Orthodox Church Accept Union With Rome?
• Papal Infallibility: Ancient Doctrine or Later Development?
• Did the Early Church Believe in Papal Supremacy?
• Papal Infallibility
• Papal Supremacy

Church Authority & Magisterium

13 resources

• The Immaculate Conception of Mary: Why Rome Defined It — and Why Orthodoxy Objects
• Vatican I and Ultramontanism: How Strong Did the Papacy Become in 1870?
• Unam Sanctam: Did Pope Boniface VIII Teach That Everyone Must Submit to the Pope to Be Saved?
• “Outside the Church There Is No Salvation”: What Did Catholics Historically Mean?
• Vatican II: Did the Catholic Church Change Its Doctrine?
• What Is the Catholic Magisterium? How Rome Understands Church Authority
• Development of Doctrine: Can Later Catholic Dogmas Still Be Apostolic?
• Papal Infallibility: Ancient Doctrine or Later Development?
• Did the Early Church Believe in Papal Supremacy?
• The Filioque: Why “And the Son” Divided East and West
• Papal Infallibility
• The Assumption of Mary as Dogma
• Purgatory

Vatican I & Vatican II

8 resources

• Vatican I and Ultramontanism: How Strong Did the Papacy Become in 1870?
• “Outside the Church There Is No Salvation”: What Did Catholics Historically Mean?
• Vatican II: Did the Catholic Church Change Its Doctrine?
• What Is the Catholic Magisterium? How Rome Understands Church Authority
• Papal Infallibility: Ancient Doctrine or Later Development?
• Papal Infallibility
• The Assumption of Mary as Dogma
• Papal Supremacy

Filioque & the Great Schism

3 resources

• The Council of Florence: Did the Orthodox Church Accept Union With Rome?
• The Filioque: Why One Phrase Helped Divide East and West
• The Filioque: Why “And the Son” Divided East and West

Sacraments & Liturgy

9 resources

• Catholic Annulments vs. Orthodox Divorce and Remarriage: What Does Christian Marriage Actually Permit?
• Eastern Catholic Churches: Orthodox in Worship, Catholic in Communion With Rome?
• Is the Mass a Sacrifice? Does Catholicism “Re-Sacrifice” Christ?
• Why Seven Sacraments? Are the Catholic Sacraments Biblical and Ancient?
• Original Sin vs. Ancestral Sin: Where Catholicism and Orthodoxy Really Differ
• Original Sin vs. Ancestral Sin: Where Catholicism and Orthodoxy Really Differ
• Priestly Celibacy: Apostolic Tradition or Later Catholic Discipline?
• Confession to a Priest: Is the Catholic Practice Biblical and Ancient?
• Catholic and Orthodox Views of the Eucharist: Where They Agree—and Where They Differ

Mary & Marian Dogmas

6 resources

• The Immaculate Conception of Mary: Why Rome Defined It — and Why Orthodoxy Objects
• Mary as Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix: What Does the Catholic Church Actually Teach?
• The Rosary: Where Did It Come From, and Is It Biblical?
• The Assumption and the Dormition of Mary: What East and West Actually Believe
• The Immaculate Conception: Ancient Belief or Later Dogma?
• The Assumption of Mary as Dogma

Saints, Relics & Veneration

1 resource

• Praying to Saints: Is the Catholic Practice Biblical and Early Christian?

Purgatory & Indulgences

4 resources

• Why the Sale of Indulgences Drew Fierce Criticism
• Indulgences: What They Are, What Went Wrong, and Why the Reformation Objected
• Purgatory: What Catholics Believe—and Where Orthodoxy Differs
• Purgatory

Roman Catholicism vs Orthodoxy

19 resources

• The Immaculate Conception of Mary: Why Rome Defined It — and Why Orthodoxy Objects
• Catholic Annulments vs. Orthodox Divorce and Remarriage: What Does Christian Marriage Actually Permit?
• Uniatism: How Did Eastern Churches Enter Communion With Rome—and Why Is It Controversial?
• Eastern Catholic Churches: Orthodox in Worship, Catholic in Communion With Rome?
• Is the Mass a Sacrifice? Does Catholicism “Re-Sacrifice” Christ?
• Original Sin vs. Ancestral Sin: Where Catholicism and Orthodoxy Really Differ
• Original Sin vs. Ancestral Sin: Where Catholicism and Orthodoxy Really Differ
• Mortal and Venial Sin: Does the Bible Support the Catholic Distinction?
• Confession to a Priest: Is the Catholic Practice Biblical and Ancient?
• Catholic and Orthodox Views of the Eucharist: Where They Agree—and Where They Differ
• The Council of Florence: Did the Orthodox Church Accept Union With Rome?
• The Assumption and the Dormition of Mary: What East and West Actually Believe
• The Immaculate Conception: Ancient Belief or Later Dogma?
• Purgatory: What Catholics Believe—and Where Orthodoxy Differs
• The Filioque: Why “And the Son” Divided East and West
• Papal Infallibility
• The Assumption of Mary as Dogma
• Purgatory
• Papal Supremacy

Roman Catholicism vs Protestantism

8 resources

• Why the Sale of Indulgences Drew Fierce Criticism
• Merit and Grace: Does Catholicism Teach That We Earn Salvation?
• Faith, Works, and Justification: What the Council of Trent Actually Taught
• Indulgences: What They Are, What Went Wrong, and Why the Reformation Objected
• Papal Infallibility
• The Assumption of Mary as Dogma
• Purgatory
• Papal Supremacy

Common Catholic Objections

3 resources

• Merit and Grace: Does Catholicism Teach That We Earn Salvation?
• Mortal and Venial Sin: Does the Bible Support the Catholic Distinction?
• Papal Supremacy

Misconceptions About Catholicism

6 resources

• Why the Sale of Indulgences Drew Fierce Criticism
• Catholic Annulments vs. Orthodox Divorce and Remarriage: What Does Christian Marriage Actually Permit?
• The Sacred Heart, Divine Mercy, and Catholic Devotions: Apostolic Faith or Later Spiritual Development?
• Mary as Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix: What Does the Catholic Church Actually Teach?
• The Rosary: Where Did It Come From, and Is It Biblical?
• Papal Infallibility