In Christianity, the East-West Schism, usually called the Great Schism (though this latter term sometimes refers to the Western Schism of 1378), was the event that separated Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Catholicism in 1054.

The two churches split along doctrinal, theological, linguistic, political, and geographic lines. They remain, for the most part, unreconciled to this day, although a dozen or so ecclesial communities that originally sided with the East eventually switched loyalties to the Pope in the centuries following the schism, and are now called Eastern-Rite Catholic churches. (The circumstances surrounding this change in loyalties are considered highly suspect by the East, and some former Eastern-Rite Catholic churches have changed back and become Eastern Orthodox again.)

On November 27, 2004, in an attempt to "promote Christian unity," Pope John Paul II returned the bones (relics) of Patriarchs John Chrysostom and Gregory Nazianzen to Istanbul. The former of the two relics was stolen from Constantinople by Crusaders in 1204, and many believe the latter was stolen then as well. However, the Vatican says the bones of the second saint were brought to Rome by Byzantine monks in the 8th century.

One sometimes sees it asserted either that the Eastern Orthodox Church or the Roman Catholic Church was founded at the time of this great schism. That is false. The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church was ruled by five patriarchs: those of Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, each having authority over bishops in a specified geographic territory. Although the five split from each other, none was a newly founded organization. Each group took (and still today takes) the view that it is the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and the other group left that church at the time of the schism. The Roman Church maintains that the Pope was the head of the entire Church before the split.

With movement of the Roman Emperor and political authority from Rome to Constantinople, a division was formed in the religious climate of the empire. Because of the custom of the emperor having authority in both temporal and religious matters, this eventually caused a split between bishops following the Pope in Rome and those following the Emperor in Constantinople.

The catalysts of the first schism included:

• the insertion of the filioque clause into the Nicene Creed by the Roman church
• disputes in the Balkans over whether the Western or Eastern church had jurisdiction
• the designation of the Patriarch of Constantinople as ecumenical patriarch (which was understood by Rome as universal patriarch and therefore disputed)
• disputes over whether the Patriarch of Rome, the Pope, should be considered a higher authority than the other Patriarchs. All five Patriarchs of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church agreed that the Patriarch of Rome should receive higher honors than the other four; they disagreed about whether he had authority over the other four.
• the concept of Caesaropapism, a tying together in some way of the ultimate political and religious authorities, which were physically separated much earlier when the capital of the empire was moved from Rome to Constantinople. There is controversy over just how much this so-called "caesaropapism" actually existed and how much was a fanciful invention, centuries later, by western European historians.
• certain liturgical practices in the west that represented innovation: use of unleavened bread for the Eucharist, for example. Eastern innovations, such as intinction (dipping) of the bread in the wine for Communion, were condemned several times by Rome but were never the occasion of schism.

This conflict led to the exchange of excommunications by the representative of Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, in 1054 (finally rescinded in 1965) and the separation of the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches, each of which now claims to be "the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church." Though communion was not finally broken until after the Ottoman invasion of Constantinople in 1453, the fundamental breach has never been healed, apart from the numerous examples cited supra.

It should be noted that at the time of the mutual excommunications, Pope Leo IX was dead. Therefore, the authority of Cardinal Humbertus, the Pope's legate, had ceased; he could not excommunicate Patriarch Cerularius. After 1054, many Eastern Christians saw the dispute as one between individuals. Moreover, no ecumenical council ever excommunicated the other Church as such. Several Eastern Churches make the claim that they never separated from the Western Church.

See also

• Western Christianity
• Eastern Christianity

External links

• Byzantium: The Great Schism By Bsp. Kallistos Ware (http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/history_timothy_ware_1.htm#n4)
• Catholic Encyclopedia article (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13535a.htm)

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