The Roman Catholic Idea of the State of Adam (according to Fr. Michael Pomazansky)

In the Roman Catholic view, the result of the fall is the loss by man of a supernatural state given by God’s grace (it is not the loss of his natural state, as in Orthodox theology), and after this man remains in his “natural” condition. His nature is not injured, but only placed in disorder—the flesh overweighs the spirit.

(The Protestant error is a little different: according to Luther and Calvin, human nature was completely corrupted by the fall and can do nothing to help itself.)

Blessed Augustine, in opposing Pelagianism, went to the opposite error and stated that in fallen man freedom to do good was completely annihilated; the grace of God is everything (cf. Protestantism).

Thus Catholicism underestimates the nature of man before the fall, and his nature after the fall (and so opposed St. John Cassian). The same error again appeared in Barlaam, who underestimated the state of Divine vision accessible to man in this life, and so he opposed St. Gregory Palamas.

The greatness of man and his origin and destiny are not understood by the Latins—they make him too small, obviously because they measure everything by a this-worldly standard. Their theology comes from human wisdom, not Divine revelation and Divine vision.