The Great Schism of 1054

The Great Schism of 1054

This was the first major and lasting church split. In the first thousand years of the church, the church evolved into a hierarchical system where there were five head regional bishops, in Rome, Alexandria (Egypt), Antioch, Jerusalem, and Constantinople. Rome was seen as a ceremonial head over them all, its Bishop being seen as the successor of Peter. Even after Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to his newly-built city in the East, Constantinople (now Istanbul), Rome remained the center of Church administration.

Pope Leo the 9th became the 151st Pope in 1049, assuming the Papacy after a period of unprecedented corruption (during which, there was a period of actually having three Popes at once!). Leo was a reformer and a very rigid individual, intent on restoring integrity to the church – and also intent on centralizing the power of the church in Rome.

Michael Cerularius was the Bishop (Patriarch) of Constantinople, beginning in 1043. He, also, was a very inflexible man.

Differences between the East and West were vast, and growing. They had differences in language, differences in culture, differences in theology, differences in understanding jurisdiction, differences in understanding the role and authority of the Bishop of Rome, and disputes over liturgy.

An exchange of letters occurred between Pope Leo and Patriarch Cerularius where they traded accusations. Cerularius addressed Leo as “Brother” instead of the traditional “Father.” Leo responded harshly, calling the Eastern Church the “origin of everything heretical.”

In 1054, Leo dispatched his trusted aide, Cardinal Humbert, to Constantinople to talk to Michael Cerularius. He could not have picked a worse individual for the job. Humbert was more inflexible than Leo was. Humbert refused to learn Greek, insisting that the Greek-speaking Cerularius learn Latin to communicate with him. Humbert refused to bend on any issue. Cerularius kept Humbert waiting for an audience for weeks at a time.

The breaking point occurred on July 16th, 1054. As Patriarch Michael Cerularius prepared to administer Holy Communion, Cardinal Humbert slammed the doors open to Hagia Sophia, the great Eastern Cathedral. He strode in all his Cardinal’s finery down the aisle and dramatically placed a writ of excommunication from Pope Leo on the altar. He then turned sharply, exited the building, and headed back to Rome, pointedly shaking the dust from his feet as he left the Cathedral. Patriarch Cerularius responded with his own excommunication on Humbert and the Pope within a week. Thus, the Eastern and Western churches split. The “one holy, catholic, and apostolic church” (Nicene Creed) had become two.

It is interesting to note that Pope Leo died about three months prior to this – unknown to anyone in Constantinople at the time – so the excommunication writ was technically invalid.

It wasn’t until 1965, over 900 years later, that the Pope and the Patriarch met to formally withdraw their mutual excommunications.


http://www.theopedia.com/great-schism
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-28/1054-east-west-schism.html
https://www.biography.com/people/pope-leo-ix-21292221
https://www.revolvy.com/topic/Michael%20I%20Cerularius&item_type=topic