On the basis of this doctrine in the Middle ages, up to the XIX century, the practice of selling indulgences became widespread in Catholicism. Indulgence (translated from the Latin. grace) is a papal letter testifying to the remission of sins. An indulgence could be bought for money. To this end, the Church leadership developed tables in which each form of sin had its monetary equivalent. Having committed a sin, a wealthy person acquired an indulgence and thus received absolution. All sins, with the exception of the so-called “mortal sins”, could be easily expiated for money. All priests have the right to distribute “extra-duty” works, to distribute grace, and to absolve sins. And this makes them a privileged position among the faithful.

4. Catholicism is characterized by an exalted veneration of the mother of God — the mother of Jesus Christ-the virgin Mary. To mark its special and exceptional role among people in 1854, Pope Pius I proclaimed the dogma of the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary. “All believers,” wrote the Pope, ” must profoundly and constantly believe and confess that the blessed virgin from the first moment of her conception was protected from original sin by the special mercy of Almighty God, manifested for the sake of the merit of Jesus, the Saviour of the human race»
5. In continuation of this tradition in 1950, Pope Pius XII approved the dogma of the bodily ascension of the mother of God, according to which the most Holy Theotokos was taken to heaven after the end of her earthly journey “with soul and body for the Glory of Heaven.” In accordance with this dogma, a special holiday dedicated to the “Queen of heaven”was established in Catholicism in 1954.
6. One of the specific features of Catholicism is the doctrine of the primacy of the Pope over all Christians. This doctrine is connected with the claim of Catholicism to be the only true and complete embodiment of Christianity. The term “Catholic” is derived from the Greek katholikos-universal, universal. The head of the Catholic Church, the Pope-is proclaimed vicar of Christ on earth, the successor of the Apostle Peter, who according to Christian tradition was the first Roman Bishop.
7. As a follow-up to these claims, the first Vatican Council (1870) adopted the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope. According to this dogma, the Pope, speaking officially (ex kathedra) on matters of faith and morality, is infallible. In other words, in all official documents and public statements, God himself speaks through the Pope’s mouth.

An important difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy is the social status of priests. in Orthodoxy, the clergy are divided into two categories: black and white. The black clergy are monks. White-priests who did not take a vow of celibacy. The highest officials in Orthodoxy, starting with the bishops, can only be monks. Parish priests tend to belong to the white clergy. In Catholicism, starting from the XI century, celibacy — mandatory celibacy of the clergy. In the Catholic Church, all priests belong to one of the monastic orders. Currently, the largest are the monastic orders of the Jesuits, Franciscans, Salesians, Dominicans, Capuchins, Christian brothers, Benedictines. Members of each order wear special clothing that allows them to distinguish them from each other.