 While Catholics are sometimes accused of worshiping images , in violation of the first commandment , the Church says this is a misunderstanding . In the Church 's opinion , " the honor paid to sacred images is a ' respectful veneration ' , not the adoration due to God alone " . In the 8th century , heated arguments arose over whether religious icons ( in this context paintings ) were prohibited by the first commandment . The dispute was almost entirely restricted to the Eastern church ; the iconoclasts wished to prohibit icons , while the iconodules supported their veneration , a position consistently backed by the Western Church . At the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 , the ecumenical council determined that the veneration of icons and statues was not in violation of the commandment and stated " whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it . " At around the time of the controversy over Iconoclasm , the Western church began to use monumental sculpture , which by the Romanesque period became a major feature of Western Christian art , that has remained part of the Catholic tradition , in contrast to Eastern Christianity , which avoids large religious sculpture . The Catechism , using very traditional arguments , posits that God gave permission for images that symbolize Christian salvation by leaving symbols such as the bronze serpent , and the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant . It states that " by becoming incarnate , the Son of God introduced a new economy of images " . 
 While Catholics are sometimes accused of worshiping images , in violation of the first commandment , the Church <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>says</mark></a> this is a misunderstanding . In the Church <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'s</mark></a>opinion , " the honor paid to sacred images <a href='drop_aux' title='3'><mark>is</mark></a>a ' respectful veneration ' , not the adoration due to God alone " . In the 8th century , heated arguments arose over whether religious icons ( in this context paintings ) <a href='uninflect' title='4'><mark>were</mark></a> prohibited by the first commandment . The dispute was almost entirely restricted to the Eastern church ; the iconoclasts wished to prohibit icons , while the iconodules supported their veneration , a position consistently backed by the Western Church . At the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 , the ecumenical council determined that the veneration of icons and statues <a href='negative_concord' title='5'><mark>was</mark></a> <a href='negative_concord' title='6'><mark>not</mark></a>in <a href='negative_concord' title='7'><mark>violation</mark></a> of the commandment and stated " whoever <a href='uninflect' title='8'><mark>venerates</mark></a> an image <a href='uninflect' title='9'><mark>venerates</mark></a> the person portrayed in it . " At around the time of the controversy over Iconoclasm , the Western church began to use monumental sculpture , which by the Romanesque period became a major feature of Western Christian art , <a href='null_relcl' title='10'><mark>that</mark></a><a href='been_done' title='11'><mark>has</mark></a> remained part of the Catholic tradition , in contrast to Eastern Christianity , which <a href='uninflect' title='12'><mark>avoids</mark></a> large religious sculpture . The Catechism , using very traditional arguments , posits that God gave permission for images <a href='null_relcl' title='13'><mark>that</mark></a>symbolize Christian salvation by leaving symbols such as the bronze serpent , and the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant . It <a href='uninflect' title='14'><mark>states</mark></a> that " by becoming incarnate , the Son of God introduced a new economy of images " . 
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