Great Schism of 1054: What Happened
On 16 July 1054, the papal legate Cardinal Humbert placed a document excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, on the altar of Hagia Sophia. Cerularius responded by excommunicating the legates. This event is traditionally seen as the moment when Christianity split into the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East, a division known as the Great Schism. The two churches had been drifting apart for centuries. They differed over the authority of the Pope, which Rome saw as supreme and the East saw as first among equals among patriarchs. They also disagreed over the addition of the word filioque, meaning and the Son, to the Nicene Creed in the West, and over practices such as the use of unleavened bread in communion. Historians today see the schism as a gradual process rather than a single break, and it was the sack of Constantinople in 1204 that made it permanent. In 1965, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras lifted the mutual excommunications of 1054.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Great Schism of 1054?
The Great Schism was the split between the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East, traditionally dated to 16 July 1054.
What happened on 16 July 1054?
The papal legate Cardinal Humbert placed a document excommunicating Patriarch Michael Cerularius on the altar of Hagia Sophia. Cerularius responded by excommunicating the legates.
What caused the Great Schism?
The churches disagreed over the Pope's authority, the filioque clause in the Nicene Creed and practices such as using unleavened bread in communion, after centuries of drifting apart.
When did the Great Schism become permanent?
Historians see the schism as a gradual process. The sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 is often seen as the event that made it permanent.
Have the excommunications of 1054 been lifted?
Yes. In 1965, Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras lifted the mutual excommunications, though the churches remain separate.
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