The Great Schism, or East-West Schism, marks the largest division in the history of Christianity, which began in 1054 with the cessation of liturgical communion between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.
The schism occurred after a series of previous disputes and conflicts concerning various theological-dogmatic and ecclesial-administrative, or ecclesiological, issues. The main theological, or dogmatic, dispute revolved around the Western teaching of the double procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son. This irregular teaching in the West led to the insertion of the Filioque clause into the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
These irregularities were not accepted by Eastern Christians. The main ecclesiological dispute concerned the violation of the principle of church synodality by the local Roman Church, which sought to impose its authority throughout the Christian world.
The schism occurred on this day, July 16, 1054, when three legates of Roman Pope Leo IX, upon arriving in Constantinople, decided to excommunicate Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople and Archbishop Leo of Ohrid.
The legates had previously asked the patriarch and archbishop to recognize the Roman Pope as the supreme head of the Church and to approve certain Western teachings and rites, but the Orthodox hierarchs did not agree to this.
The legal validity of the excommunication pronounced on July 16 proved questionable, as the Roman See had in the meantime become vacant, since Pope Leo IX had died on April 19, and his successor was finally elected only in the spring of the following year, 1055.
Due to such actions by the Roman legates, Patriarch Michael convened a synod which was held on July 20 in Constantinople. At this synod, it was decided to reject and condemn the actions of the papal legates, and an anathema was cast upon the legates themselves.
The synodal decisions were then solemnly proclaimed on July 24 in the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The mutual excommunications of 1054 marked the break in liturgical communion between the Catholic West and the Orthodox East.
As a result of the schism, there was a permanent separation of the Roman Catholic Church from Ecumenical Orthodoxy. As both sides continued to claim the heritage of the unified Church, a situation arose in which each side considered itself to represent the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. On this occasion, a lively theological-polemical activity developed on both sides, aimed at justifying their own positions while disputing the positions of the other side.
Due to the increasingly pronounced intensification of mutual disputes in the areas of dogma and ecclesiology, there was a general deterioration in mutual relations, especially after the disastrous Fourth Crusade (1204).
Attempts at Reconciliation
Although there have been several attempts at reunification so far, they have always ended unsuccessfully, which is why the only case where the Western and Eastern Churches actually reunited, at least for a short time, remains largely unknown even today!
This happened at the Second Council of Lyon in 1272.
Byzantine emperors desired reconciliation with the Roman Church for political reasons. Thus, it came to pass that in Lyon, France, from 1272 to 1274, Pope Gregory X convened a council with the consent of Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos to attempt to unite the Orthodox Church with the Western Church.
Byzantium was at that moment threatened by an attack from Charles I of Anjou, and Emperor Michael VIII hoped that the union would secure the necessary assistance from the West, and therefore agreed to convene a “Council of Union.”
This was the first time since the 1054 schism that Orthodox Greek envoys were present at a Council in the West. The discussions in Lyon were attended by about 300 bishops, 60 abbots, and over a thousand church dignitaries or their procurators, among whom were representatives of universities and some of the most learned people of the Middle Ages.
During the negotiations, the Orthodox envoys accepted the dogmatic decree “Fideli,” which confirmed that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son as from one principle, and not as from two different principles. On the other hand, the Catholic Church agreed to provide Byzantium with the necessary assistance and curb the attacks of Charles I, and the council ended with a reconciliation ratified by Emperor Michael Palaiologos and accepted by Patriarch John XI.
Problems for the Union of Lyon began practically immediately after the council concluded. Although it represented the emperor’s diplomatic success, the union was received with open dissatisfaction in Constantinople.
The Greek Orthodox Church did not accept reconciliation with the “Roman Catholic Latin heretics.” On the other hand, the emperor did not receive the promised assistance from the Council of Lyon. For a time, the diplomatic union allowed Michael to gain a respite in the conflict with Western powers, but the very next pope, Martin IV, excommunicated Michael, thereby giving Charles of Anjou permission to attack Byzantium.
News of the reconciliation with the West was met with “hostility” in Byzantium. Society and the church were fiercely divided, and Emperor Michael enforced his policy by force, even within his own family! It was his son, Andronikos II, who led the anti-Latin movement.
All this time, Serbia exploited the discord and helped the opponents of the union. The Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin marked the beginning of his reign in 1282 by conquering Skopje.
The de facto end of the Union was Michael’s death on December 11, 1282, who died during preparations for a campaign against the Serbs. Andronikos very quickly rejected the uniate policy, and Patriarch John XI was replaced as early as December 26.
A synod held in Constantinople in January 1283 decided to publicly burn all documents that testified to the Union of Lyon, and Emperor Michael VIII was denied a Christian funeral, requiem, and even commemoration.
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Source: Serbian Times; Photo: Pinterest