Compare
Catholic ChurchandPentecostalism
At a glance
- Common groundIn full: Common ground
- Common inheritanceThe Western (Latin) church: Protestant churches grew, directly or through later movements, from the 16th-century Reformation of the Western church, so until then their history and that of the Catholic Church is one history.
2 sources
- Christianity: The First Three Thousand YearsIdentified, not independently read
- Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of JustificationSource verified
Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.
- Common inheritanceThe Western (Latin) church: Protestant churches grew, directly or through later movements, from the 16th-century Reformation of the Western church, so until then their history and that of the Catholic Church is one history.
- Key differencesIn full: Key differences
- Scripture and authorityCatholic ChurchScripture and Tradition, interpreted by the bishops in communion with the popePentecostalismScripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
- Sacraments and ordinancesCatholic ChurchSeven sacraments (holy mysteries); Christ's body and blood are truly present; Infants are baptisedPentecostalismBaptism and the Lord's Supper as ordinances; A symbolic memorial of Christ's death; Baptism follows a personal confession of faith
Below: 2 topics where teaching varies.
- How their histories connectIn full: How their histories connect
- Line of descentPentecostalism has roots in the Wesleyan-Holiness movement of the Methodist tradition (1901–1906), which grew out of a revival within the Church of England (1730s–1795), which took shape in the Reformation of the Western church under Rome (1534–1559).
- Connected today?In full: their relationship today
Separate, in formal dialogue
Based on Catholic–Pentecostal dialogue (since 1972).
Composed from each tradition’s sourced records. Where a topic is not yet recorded for one side, the Atlas says so rather than guess.
Structured comparison. Composed from each tradition’s sourced position records. No research has yet been written for this particular pair, so the Atlas shows only what those records establish.
Where they differ
Scripture and authority
Sources of authority
- Catholic Church
- Scripture and Tradition, interpreted by the bishops in communion with the pope
- Pentecostalism
- Scripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
Sacraments and ordinances
How the rites are understood and counted
- Catholic Church
- Seven sacraments (holy mysteries)
- Pentecostalism
- Baptism and the Lord's Supper as ordinances
Christ's presence in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper
- Catholic Church
- Christ's body and blood are truly present
- Pentecostalism
- A symbolic memorial of Christ's death
Who is baptised
- Catholic Church
- Infants are baptised
- Pentecostalism
- Baptism follows a personal confession of faith
Where teaching varies within a tradition (2)
God
Doctrine of God
- Catholic Church
- One God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- Pentecostalism
- One God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy SpiritOneness Pentecostal churches reject the doctrine of the Trinity, so this is not a position of the whole movement.
Salvation and grace
Characteristic emphasis
- Catholic Church
- Justification by grace, which renews the believer and works through love
- Pentecostalism
- Baptism in the Holy Spirit after conversion, with speaking in tongues as its initial signNot all Pentecostal churches teach tongues as the necessary initial evidence.
Not yet comparable (11)
No sourced position is recorded for one side, so the Atlas does not say whether they agree:
- Christ (christ's divinity): not recorded for Pentecostalism
- Christ (how christ's divinity and humanity are expressed): not recorded for Pentecostalism
- Creeds and councils (the nicene creed): not recorded for Pentecostalism
- Creeds and councils (the filioque): not recorded for Pentecostalism
- Creeds and councils (councils received): not recorded for Pentecostalism
- Sacraments and ordinances (how christ's presence is explained): not recorded for Pentecostalism
- Church and ministry (church government): not recorded for Pentecostalism
- Church and ministry (ministry): not recorded for Pentecostalism
- Mary and the saints (asking the saints to pray): not recorded for Pentecostalism
- Mary and the saints (how mary is named): not recorded for Pentecostalism
- Day of worship (weekly day of worship): not recorded for Pentecostalism
How their histories relate
The Atlas has no researched record of a direct historical relationship between these two. Not every pair of traditions experienced a schism or union with each other. Each took shape in its own way:
Their relationship today
Separate, in formal dialogue
Derived from the recorded agreement or dialogue between them.
Developments towards reconciliation
1972–present
International Catholic–Pentecostal Dialogue
The Catholic Church's unity office and participating Pentecostal churches and leaders
Seven phases since 1972 have produced reports on prayer and praise, koinonia, evangelisation and proselytism, Christian initiation and baptism in the Spirit (2006) and charisms (2015); a seventh-phase report was finalised in June 2026.Source
Dialogue reports, not agreements binding the churches.Source
Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.
Explore further
Catholic Church
All citations link to the Atlas’s single source register.