Catholics and Protestants: How different are they?

Catholicism and Protestantism are two different forms of Christianity. In many ways, they are very similar. Both groups read the same Bible and share basic beliefs about God and Jesus Christ. But they have some important differences too.

Catholicism developed within the first few hundred years after the death of Jesus and included a strict hierarchy of priests, bishops and cardinals. At the top was the Pope in Rome, who led the Christian world and crowned the kings of Europe. (Remember, the world was a lot more religious place back then.) By the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church basically ran all of Europe, including the governments and universities.

But around 1500, a group of Christians broke off from the Catholic church. Their most controversial idea was they believed you didn't need the Pope to understand the word of God. They also wanted some smaller changes, like being allowed to print the Bible and conduct church services in their own local languages instead of Latin. Because they protested against the Catholic church, these people became known as Protestants.

Looking back from the 21st century, these differences might not seem like such a big deal. But back then, this splinter movement, called the Reformation, was a radical challenge to the whole way the world was run. It was enough to go to war over.

Today, Catholics and Protestants get along fine in most places. They still disagree about the Pope, and smaller issues like how often to have communion and whether people should formally confess their sins to a priest. But the biggest differences between these groups (or at least the issues that make the most news) are social and political. The Catholic church, for example, does not allow women to become priests. Priests are not allowed to get married. Divorce and abortion are prohibited. Protestants generally allow all these things.

So what does all this have to do with Northern Ireland? Sometimes it's hard to tell. The division between Catholics and Protestants there does not have much to do with the Pope, divorce, confession or even religion at all. The problem is political and social, not spiritual. Protestantism is associated with the English, who invaded and conquered the local people in Ireland and forced them to change their language and religion. Lingering resentment on both sides has fueled the conflict for generations and religious differences became a symbol of a larger political conflict. Now that political compromises are on the horizon, things have started to get better.