How did the Papal Schism happen?

Answer 1

The first great schism in Christianity happened this way:

When Michael Cerularius became Patriarch of Constantinople in 1043, he
was determined to make his patriarchate equal with the papacy, and to free the Eastern Church from subservience to the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. To accomplish his first goal, he sent an open letter to the West addressed to the clergy and the pope charging the Western Church with minor errors such as the use of unleavened bread in the Lord’s Supper, fasting on Saturdays, eating the meat of strangled animals, forbidding the singing of the Allelua during Lent. The letter ended with the inflammatory question: “Why are you laboring at the reform of the people? Labor to reform yourselves!”

A short while later, two more complaints were leveled at the Western Church. These were more serious in nature: (1) the Western Church was accused of harboring heresy by amending the universally accepted Nicene Creed to read that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son; (2) the Western Church violates the will of God and the law of nature by forbidding priests to marry.

Pope Leo IX sent three legates to Constantinople to settle the dispute with the Eastern Church. They were coolly received, and in the course of discussions, differences in opinion widened even more. Finally, on July 16, 1054, the papal legates laid on the altar of the cathedral of Saint Sophia, a decree of excommunication on the Patriarch of Constantinople and his followers. Four days later, on July 20, 1054, the Patriarch retaliated in kind by laying on the same altar, a decree excommunicating the pope and his followers. Thus, the first great schism in Christianity occurred. The Church was now divided into the Latin (Roman) Catholic Church of the West, and the Greek Orthodox Church of the East. The mutual sentence of excommunication remained for centuries. Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch Athenagoras finally lifted it on December 7, 1965.

The Factors that led to the schism were:

(1) Differences in Interpretation of “Primacy”:The Roman Bishop or Pope insisted on his primacy among other bishops based on apostolic considerations – i.e., the tradition that Rome was founded by Peter, the “rock” upon which the Church was to be built. The Patriarch, on the other hand, understood his primacy based on historic considerations – i.e., Constantinople had become the new “Rome,” the seat of the emperor and the Senate. Furthermore, the Pope interpreted “primacy” to mean “supremacy;” while the Patriarch understood “primacy” to mean “first among equals.” Neither party was willing to submit to the other.

(2) Differences in Intellectual Outlook:Understanding and cooperation between East and West was often hindered by basic differences in intellectual outlook. The Greek or Oriental mindset of the East was philosophical and more interested in metaphysical concerns; while the Latin mindset of the West was more practical and was more interested in practical matters of polity. These different outlooks not only resulted in differing ways of looking at things, they also gave the East and the West different criteria of judgment.

(3) Differences in Culture and Language: Disparities in cultural backgrounds between East and West appeared in what each expected to see from their respective clergy. In the West, priests were expected to remain celibate; while in the East, priests below the rank of bishop may marry. Again, in the West, priests may shave their faces; but in the East, priests must wear beards. In the matter of language, the Eastern Church used Greek, while the Western Church used Latin. The different languages not only caused hindrances to understanding, but also caused the respective liturgies of East and West to develop differently.

(4) Differences in Theology: As has been mentioned, the Eastern Church charged their Western counterpart with heresy for adding filioque (Latin term meaning “and from the son”) to the Nicene Creed so that it read “I believe... in the Holy Spirit... who proceeds from the Father and the Son.” The Eastern Church did not accept the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Son, but believed that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son.

(5) Embittered Relations due to a Series of Controversies: Through the centuries, there had arisen various issues and controversies which soured relations between East and West. With each controversy, feelings of animosity increased. These controversies include:

(a) The Easter Day Controversy of the 2nd century: The Eastern Church wanted to hold Easter on the 14th day of Nisan (the date of the Jewish Passover), no matter what day of the week it fell on. The Western Church wanted to celebrate Easter on the Sunday following the 14th of Nisan. The controversy was resolved in the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, when the Western view was adopted. This was resented in the East.

(b) The Iconoclastic (image-breaking) Controversy in the 8th and 9th centuries. In 726, Emperor Leo the Isaurian of the Byzantine Empire, issued a decree which forbade the use of pictures and images in churches. The Patriarch of Constantinople supported the emperor, but the common people and the monks resisted this reform. Then Pope Gregory II and Charlemagne interfered and took a stand against the Byzantine emperor and the Patriarch. This interference by the West in Eastern affairs was bitterly resented and produced a definite breach between Rome and Constantinople.

Answer 2

it's called faith. fnord