Ethan Walker
The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church have had a complex and strained relationship throughout history, with efforts to reconcile and unite the two churches. The East-West Schism of 1054, also known as the Great Schism, marked a significant division between the two churches, with mutual excommunications issued by Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael I. This schism was influenced by historical, linguistic, and theological differences, including disputes over papal primacy and the filioque clause. Despite this formal split, there have been multiple attempts to heal the divide, such as the Second Council of Lyon and the Council of Florence, and more recently, the joint lifting of mutual excommunications in 1965 by Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I. While relations have warmed over the last century, with a shared commitment to working towards unity, there remain differences to be addressed before full reunification can be achieved.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of schism | 1054 |
| Reason for schism | Historical, linguistic, and theological differences |
| Nature of schism | Mutual excommunication |
| Efforts towards reconciliation | Multiple attempts, including the Second Council of Lyon and the Council of Florence |
| Current relationship | Warming relations, with ongoing ecumenical efforts |
| Similarities | Valid holy orders, apostolic succession, celebration of same sacraments, similar theology, shared faith in Christ |
| Differences | Papal primacy, filioque clause, neo-Palamism, cultural and political practices, use of Latin vs. Greek |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Schism of 1054
The roots of the split can be traced back to the early centuries of Christianity, with the Roman and Eastern churches (later the Orthodox Church) developing differences in their practices and beliefs. The Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its official religion in the 4th century, and the bishop of Rome (the pope) became a significant political and spiritual leader. The Eastern Church used Greek as its medium of communication, while the Western Church used Latin, resulting in strained communication and misunderstandings due to translation discrepancies.
The Byzantine Empire permanently withdrew from the City of Rome in 751, ending the Byzantine Papacy and further alienating the two sides. The coronation of Charlemagne as Emperor of the Romans in 800 by the pope in the west also caused outrage in the east, solidifying the rift.
In 1053, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael I Cerularius, ordered the closure of all Latin churches in Constantinople, in response to the Greek churches in southern Italy being forced to either close or conform to Latin practices. The following year, in 1054, the papal legate sent by Pope Leo IX travelled to Constantinople, seeking help from the Byzantine emperor and insisting that Cerularius recognize the Pope's claim to be the head of all churches. When the leader of the legation, Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida, learned that Cerularius refused to accept the demand, he excommunicated him, and Cerularius responded by excommunicating Humbert and the other legates.
The Great Schism was the culmination of a series of ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes between the Greek East and Latin West, including the procession of the Holy Spirit (Filioque), the use of leavened or unleavened bread in the Eucharist, iconoclasm, and the Pope's claim to universal jurisdiction. The schism caused a permanent division between the Eastern and Western churches, with the Catholic Church becoming more centralized and hierarchical, while the Orthodox Church maintained a more decentralized and autonomous structure.
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Theological differences
The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church have been officially divided since the East-West Schism of 1054. This schism was caused by historical, linguistic, and theological differences.
One of the main theological differences is the question of papal primacy, also known as the "primacy of the Bishop of Rome". The Catholic Church attributes "full, supreme, and universal power" to the Pope, a power that it also attributes to the body of bishops united with him. While the Eastern Orthodox Church accepts the Bishop of Rome's primacy, it disagrees with the Catholic Church on how this primacy should be exercised and its scriptural and theological foundations.
Another key theological difference is the filioque clause, which is associated with the Latin verb "procedere" in the Catholic Church, but not with the corresponding Greek verb in the Eastern Orthodox Church. This clause relates to the nature and function of the Church, or fundamental ecclesiology. The Eastern Orthodox Church also asserts that the Catholic Church has introduced new dogmas over the years, such as the immaculate conception and papal infallibility, which are not "backwards compatible" with traditional Orthodox doctrine.
In terms of spirituality, there are debates around the tenability of neo-Palamism's essence-energy distinction and the experiential vision of God as attained in theoria and theosis. While the Catholic Church became more centralized and hierarchical after the schism, the Orthodox Church maintained a more decentralized and autonomous structure, with a number of smaller, independent churches united by common beliefs and practices.
Despite these differences, the two churches have much in common. They hold valid holy orders and apostolic succession, celebrate the same sacraments, believe in almost exactly the same theology, and proclaim the same faith in Christ. In recent decades, there has been a marked lessening of tensions, and both churches have engaged in ecumenical efforts to restore Christian unity. In 1965, Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople jointly lifted the mutual excommunications of 1054, and in 1965, the two churches issued a joint statement, known as the "Balamand Declaration", affirming their shared beliefs and committing to working towards unity.
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Language differences
The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church have been in a state of official schism from one another since the East-West Schism of 1054. This event, known as the Great Schism, marked the formal division between the two churches. The split has been immensely lamented on both sides, as it goes against the exhortation of Jesus Christ "that they may all be one" (John 17:21).
One of the main causes of the schism was the language differences between the two churches. The Eastern Church used Greek as its medium of communication, while the Western Church used Latin. Translations did not always correspond exactly, leading to misunderstandings and an increasing ignorance of the theological and ecclesiological developments of each tradition. This language barrier also contributed to the ensuing theological differences between the two churches.
For example, the Filioque clause, which is an addition to the Nicene Creed in the Latin version, has been a significant point of contention. The Latin term "Filioque" (meaning "and [from] the Son") is added to the Creed, but it is absent in the original Greek version. The word "ἐκπορεύεσθαι" in Greek indicates a primary or ultimate cause, while the Latin word "procedere" indicates a procession but not from an ultimate cause. This difference in language has been interpreted by some as a theological obstacle to the reunion of the two churches.
Another example of a linguistic difference is the use of different terms and concepts in the two traditions. The Catholic Church attributes "full, supreme, and universal power" to the Pope, a doctrine known as papal primacy or the "primacy of the Bishop of Rome." While both the Eastern and Western Churches accept the Bishop of Rome's primacy, they differ in their understanding of how it should be exercised and its scriptural and theological foundations.
The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) brought about significant changes in the liturgical life of the Roman Catholic Church, including changes in the structure and language of the mass. These changes were much more rapid and substantial than the typical slow and subtle reforms experienced by the Orthodox Church over the centuries.
Despite the language differences and the ensuing theological disagreements, there have been efforts over the years to bridge the divide and bring the two churches closer together. In 1965, Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople jointly lifted the mutual excommunications of 1054. In 1995, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPU) pointed out that the Filioque issue may be a problem of language rather than theology, and this was seen as a positive sign of reconciliation. In 2007, the Ravenna Document was issued, in which representatives of both churches acknowledged their shared beliefs and committed to working towards unity. More recently, in 2019, the current Patriarch of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew, stated his belief that an Orthodox reunion with the Catholic Church is inevitable.
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Efforts to reconcile
In the 15th century, the East experienced significant losses to the Turks, which pressured the emperor to seek reconciliation with the pope. This led to the Council of Florence (1438-1445), where the two churches attempted to resolve their theological differences. While most Eastern bishops signed off on the papal claims, they later repudiated the agreement due to opposition from their laity. This repudiation almost entirely sealed the schism between East and West. However, the efforts were not entirely fruitless, as many Eastern Catholic churches that emerged from this period entered into communion with Rome.
The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) marked a new era in relations, with the Roman Church describing the Orthodox as "separated brethren" with valid sacraments and an apostolic priesthood. In 1964, the Third Pan-Orthodox Conference in Rhodes encouraged local Orthodox churches to prepare for future dialogue with the Vatican. In 1965, Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople jointly lifted the mutual excommunications of 1054, issuing a joint statement known as the "Balamand Declaration," affirming their shared beliefs and commitment to unity.
In recent years, the current Patriarch of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew, has expressed his belief in an inevitable reunion with the Catholic Church. The Russian Orthodox Church, despite its historical wariness of the Vatican, has also extended a hand of cooperation, sending Metropolitan Hilarion to explore practical ways of collaboration. Pope John Paul II's metaphor of the Church "breathing with two lungs again" resonated with many Catholics, although it was met with more skepticism by the Orthodox, particularly Russians.
While formal dialogue has improved mutual understanding, significant differences remain, including the Orthodox rejection of the Filioque in the Creed, the Catholic understanding of the Petrine office, and the papal primacy. The Orthodox view of Rome as having been too influenced by legalism and scholasticism, while some Catholics find Orthodox doctrine and practice vague and overly influenced by the state. Despite these challenges, both churches continue to work towards restoring Christian unity through ecumenical efforts, with warming relations in the last century.
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Different church structures
The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church have been in a state of official schism from one another since the East-West Schism of 1054. This event, known as the Great Schism, marked the formal division between the two churches. In the centuries that followed, the two churches continued to develop along separate paths, with the Catholic Church becoming more centralised and hierarchical, while the Orthodox Church maintained a more decentralised and autonomous structure.
The Catholic Church attributes to the primacy of the Pope "full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered". The power attributed to the pope's primatial authority has limitations that are official, legal, dogmatic, and practical. The Eastern Orthodox Church, on the other hand, operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods. There is no central doctrinal or governmental authority analogous to the pope of the Catholic Church. However, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognised as primus inter pares ("first among equals"), a title held by the patriarch of Rome prior to 1054.
The main theological differences between the two churches are the papal primacy and the filioque clause. Papal primacy, also known as the "primacy of the Bishop of Rome", is an ecclesiastical doctrine concerning the respect and authority that is due to the pope from other bishops and their episcopal sees. The filioque clause refers to a Latin term added to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (commonly known as the Nicene Creed), which is absent in the original Greek version. The Catholic Church does not add the corresponding phrase to the Greek text of the Creed but adds it in Latin, where it is associated with a verb of broader meaning.
In 1965, the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church issued a joint statement, known as the "Balamand Declaration", in which they affirmed their shared beliefs and committed to working towards unity. The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) also ushered in a new era of relations between the two churches, with the Orthodox described as "separated brethren" with valid sacraments and an apostolic priesthood. In November 2019, the current Patriarch of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew, stated that he believes an Orthodox reunion with the Catholic Church is inevitable.
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Frequently asked questions
The divide between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, also known as the Great Schism, was caused by historical, linguistic, and theological differences. The Byzantine Empire's withdrawal from Rome in 751, the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, and the ensuing mutual alienation of the Latin-speaking West and the Greek-speaking East led to increasing ignorance of each other's theological and ecclesiological developments.
One of the main theological differences was the question of papal primacy, also known as the "primacy of the Bishop of Rome". The Catholic Church attributes "full, supreme, and universal power" to the Pope, while the Orthodox Church believes that Rome has introduced new dogmas over the years, and that Roman Catholicism is not "backwards compatible".
In 1965, Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople jointly lifted the mutual excommunications of 1054, and both churches issued a joint statement, known as the "Balamand Declaration", affirming their shared beliefs. In recent decades, both sides have worked towards restoring Christian unity through ecumenical efforts, and in 2019, the current Patriarch of Constantinople stated his belief that Orthodox re-union with the Catholic Church is inevitable.
Both Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate the same sacraments and proclaim the same faith in Christ, but they have different practices and beliefs. For example, Orthodox Christians believe that the Eucharist is the actual Body and Blood of Christ, while Catholics believe it is symbolic. Another difference is that the Catholic Church has a more centralized and hierarchical structure, while the Orthodox Church is more decentralized and autonomous.
In the West, a Catholic church building is often not significantly different from a Protestant church building. However, Orthodox churches are highly liturgical and are loaded with images referred to as "icons", reminding the faithful of Jesus, the apostles, and various saints in Church history.
