Orthodox Christians and Catholics believe the bread and wine of the Eucharist is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Great Schism between the Russian Orthodox and Western Christianity split the two churches in 1054. This article examines the history of this schism and explains how the Catholics and Orthodox have come to differing conclusions on the question of the Eucharist.
Table of Contents
- Russian Orthodox Church split with Western Christianity in the Great Schism of 1054
- Hungarian authorities towards Russian culture and spiritual traditions
- Catholics vs Orthodox Christians believe the bread and wine of the Eucharist is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
- Eastern Orthodox Church leaders endorse and support efforts to foil the European Commission’s plan to place Russian Patriarch Kirill on the EU sanctions list
- Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary
Russian Orthodox Church split with Western Christianity in the Great Schism of 1054
One of the most dramatic events in the history of Christendom was the Great Schism of 1054. It split Christianity into two branches, the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. The two churches became separated from each other and eventually, they came to separate geographic, liturgical, and doctrinal lines.
The Great Schism was a result of religious differences and rivalry between the western and eastern branches of the Christian Church. The eastern branch became the Orthodox Church, while the western one morphed into the Roman Catholic Church.
The main reason for the break was the acceptance of a doctrine called filioque. This was a claim that both the Father and the Son are the original point of the Holy Spirit. Eastern hierarchs believed this distorted the New Testament and were opposed to the doctrine.
The Hungarian authorities’ relationship to Russian culture and spiritual traditions was not limited to political and military events. In fact, they had long been engaged in antisemitic activity. Hundreds of pogroms swept the country in the 19th and 20th centuries. They persecuted Jews, and the public discourse of the time was filled with antisemitism.
The Hungarian government’s antisemitic policies were rooted in nationalist ideology. They were also the result of a fierce rivalry among Hitler’s allied states. Some of the laws were directly discriminatory against Jews, while others were not.
As a result, the Jewish community was deprived of the rights of citizenship, and the government confiscated the property of the Jewish population. By the end of the war, around 22,000 Jewish citizens had been deported from Hungary.
Catholics vs Orthodox Christians believe the bread and wine of the Eucharist is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
There is a lot of debate between the Orthodox and Catholics regarding the bread and wine in the Eucharist. This controversy reached a fever pitch during the Great Schism. Throughout the schism, the two churches disputed on the validity of the “immaculate conception” and on the nature of the “body and blood of Jesus.”
The Orthodox believe that the real presence of the Lord in the Eucharist was accomplished by a miraculous event called transubstantiation. This phenomenon makes the bread and wine change into the actual Body and Blood of Christ. It is also the basis of a number of other doctrines within the Church.
Roman Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the place where the real presence of the Lord is manifested. They also consider the Eucharist to be the most important event in the Church’s history.
Eastern Orthodox Church leaders endorse and support efforts to foil the European Commission’s plan to place Russian Patriarch Kirill on the EU sanctions list
In a major blow to European Union plans to impose sanctions on the Russian Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox church leaders have endorsed and supported the Hungarian government’s efforts to foil the proposed measures. Earlier this week, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that he would oppose any EU sanction on Patriarch Kirill.
The European Commission has recently drafted a blacklist of individuals and entities that it hopes to impose sanctions on. These include 58 figures related to the Russia-Ukraine war. It also lists hundreds of Kremlin supporters. This list will be published in the official EU journal when member states approve a sanctions package.
According to the EU executive body, the sanctions could include asset freezes and travel bans. As part of these measures, EU diplomats are meeting in Brussels on Friday to finalize the sixth round of sanctions against Russia.
Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary
The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH) is the third largest Christian denomination in Hungary. It is divided into three dioceses and has nearly 300 congregations throughout the country. One of the church’s main goals is to work together on common social issues. In addition, the church works to provide housing for refugees in Budapest.
ELCH is one of the churches that has been most vocal in criticising the xenophobic campaign by Viktor Orban’s government. ELCH has rented five rooms for newly accepted refugees in a worker’s hostel in a suburban district. Another project aims to provide crisis accommodation to families in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary.
As well as supporting refugees, the church is also engaged in various integration programs. For example, the church’s Lutheran Diaconia Integration Service offers four different refugee support projects.
