Catholicism and Protestantism have different views on the significance and influence associated with the Bible; since for the Protestants, the Bible is considered to be a “sola skriptura” where God manifests his revelations to the individuals and which enables them to engage in the Holy spiritual union with Him. On the other hand, Catholics do entirely support their ideas on the Bible alone. Alongside with the sacred scripture, they are more bound by the customs of the Roman Catholic Church. Another difference emerges in understanding the church where Catholics and Protestants have a varied view on the functions of the church (Paolini et al. 2004). The word “catholic” typically means “all-embracing,” and this makes the Catholic view itself as the single dedicated church internationally with the guidance of the pope. In contrast, the Protestant churches view themselves as “evangelical” that means “according to the gospel” thus fails to build up on a cohesive church.
Reference
Paolini, S., Hewstone, M., Cairns, E., & Voci, A. (2004). Effects of direct and indirect cross-group friendships on judgments of Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland: The mediating role of an anxiety-reduction mechanism. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(6), 770-786.