CultureEurope
The church splits east and west
A break that has still not healed
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The break of 1054 was more symbolic than decisive; the distance had grown for centuries through language, politics, and the fact that the West had a pope claiming supremacy while the East had five equal patriarchs. What proved irreparable came in 1204, when western crusaders sacked Constantinople. The excommunications were formally lifted in 1965.
For children
The pope in Rome and the patriarch in Constantinople excommunicated each other. The quarrel concerned both power and theology — including a single word in the creed. The church has been divided into Catholic and Orthodox ever since.
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Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org