What was the main cause of the East-West Schism

[Tradcat1]

What was the main cause for East-West Schism.
Did the Eastern orthodox separate itself from the Catholic church Or else did the catholic church seperare itself from orthodoxy? Many say that the pope was arrogant and the orthodox were really proud, and that both of these qualities Caused the Schism. Can we agree with this?

 

[Nicene]

IMHO politics.

 

[JSRG]

What was the main cause for East-West Schism.
Did the Eastern orthodox separate itself from the Catholic church Or else did the catholic church seperare itself from orthodoxy? Many say that the pope was arrogant and the orthodox were really proud, and that both of these qualities Caused the Schism. Can we agree with this?

There were two primary issues that caused the East-West Schism.

The first, and likely the more important of the two, was the question of papal authority. The western churches asserted that the pope was the “head honcho” of the whole church and wielded power that no other bishop had. The eastern churches claimed that the pope, while having a special place of honor, had no greater power than the other major bishops of the church. This obviously led to conflict.

The second was the filioque. The original Greek Nicene Creed said that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. The Latin version had the additional word “filioque” (“and the son”) and thus says the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. There was conflict as to whether this was accurate or not.

There were other more minor issues, but those were the major causes of the schism.

As for the question of “Did the Eastern orthodox separate itself from the Catholic church Or else did the catholic church seperare itself from orthodoxy?” Depends on who you ask. Both the Catholic and the Orthodox claim that it was the other group that separated.

 

[Maximian]

One could add to JSRG’s summary the fact that the Western Church was having to face adoptionist heresies which were not threatening in the east, so that the importance of the filioque clause (which was not new, in fact it had been in use in the West for some 500 years so did not come out of thin air) was much more obvious in the West.

 

[AlNg]

What was the main cause for East-West Schism.

In 1054 there was the papal bull excommunicating Michael Cerularius and his followers. Several things were mentioned in the papal letter among them:

1. The omission of the filioque from the creed or more precisely:
   “Like Pneumatomachoi or Theomachoi, they cut off the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Son;”
   But remember that the original Nicene Creed said that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and it was changed in the west hundreds of years later. And the Bible says: " “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father , he will bear witness about me."
2. the papal bull of 1054 listed married priests as a reason for the excommunication:
   “Like Nicolaitists, they allow and defend the carnal marriages of the ministers of the sacred altar;”
   It doesn’t seem right that the papal bull would object to married priests.
   Then later on in 1204 there was the Fourth Crusade in which Catholic crusaders looted Orthodox churches, murdered Orthodox civilians in cold blood, smashed and demolished churches, brought prostitutes inside the church and had sex with the prostitutes at the altar of the church, beat and raped nuns. Nuns had consecrated their lives and their viginity to Jesus but the Catholic crusaders tortured and raped them. Precious gold artifacts, precious jewels, icons and other valuable items were stolen from Orthodox churches and brought to the west to be put in Roman Catholic Churches.
   Things like this did not help to promote love, unity and peace between Catholics and Orthodox.
   For the present day, one of the main reasons for the continued division are the papacy claims of the Roman Church which teaches AFAIK that the pope has universal and supreme jurisdiction over the whole Church, East and West and that the pope is infallible when speaking ex cathedra. The Orthodox prefer a more collegial approach, where however, the pope is recognized as having a primacy of sorts, but not supreme jurisdiction or infallibility. Although Jesus prayed for unity, neither Church seems willing to budge one bit to bring it about. But they have been talking about it for 900 years. As time goes on, though, the churches are drifting further apart in various ways, even as the dialog continues. As time passes, unity between the two churches becomes more difficult to achieve as each becomes set in her ways. Maybe some sort of intercommunion is possible, but the recent events of WWII and even later with the 1992 breakup of Yugoslavia and the tension between the two churches in Ukraine don’t seem to support such optimism.

 

[Maximian]

But remember that the original Nicene Creed said that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father

Saying that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father does not exclude that He proceeds also from the son.

I can’t help thinking of the current “all lives matter” controversy.

 

[Maximian]

Catholic crusaders

This is a very propagandist statement. The crusaders diverted towards Constantinople in disobedience to the Pope, were immediately excommunicated for doing so and were excommunicated by the time they arrived. Their disgraceful behaviour cannot be attributed to the Catholic Church.

 

[ralfyman]

Eastern Schism | Catholic Answers Encyclopedia

 

[Vico]

What was the main cause for East-West Schism.
Did the Eastern orthodox separate itself from the Catholic church Or else did the catholic church seperare itself from orthodoxy? Many say that the pope was arrogant and the orthodox were really proud, and that both of these qualities Caused the Schism. Can we agree with this?

A rift developed after the seventh ecumenical council, from at least by 880 A.D.:

• Fourth Council of Constantinople (Catholic) (869–870)
• Fourth Council of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox) (879–880)

 

[AlNg]

Saying that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father does not exclude that He proceeds also from the son.

The original creed said that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. And so does the bible: john 15: 26.

were excommunicated by the time they arrived.

Are you still Catholic if you are excommunicated?

Their disgraceful behaviour cannot be attributed to the Catholic Church.

Was it OK for the Roman Catholic churches in the west to accept all of the stolen loot from the excommunicated Crusaders?
Regardless, still, the Fourth Crusade is not something that the Orthodox believe promoted peace and unity between the two churches. In fact reports of the looting, the brutality, the murder of innocent civilians, the rape of nuns, the smashing of sacred Orthodox churches by the Catholic crusaders horrified the Orthodox world and brought relations between the two churches to an all time low.

 

[7_Sorrows]

IMHO politics.

And geography and a few other things.

 

[AlNg]

The article linked to is very much slanted against St. Photius. The way it reads, it seems like St. Photius is the worst enemy of the Catholic church. It even implies that the feast of St. Photius should be “altered” which I guess really means removed. St. Photius is a saint in the Eastern Catholic Church and is it not wrong to promote animosity against a Saint of the Catholic Church? Although St. Photius was not officially canonized in the Roman Church, he is listed as a Saint in the calendar of Eastern Catholic Churches. AFAIK, Roman Catholics are allowed to venerate Eastern Catholic saints. This promotion of hostility against a saint of the Eastern Catholic Church does little to encourage unity and love between East and West.