Q: What are the differences between the Eastern and Western churches?
A: First of all, I am Pope Leo IX of the Roman Church (Western). There are many differences between the Western churches and our churches. We speak Latin, while the Eastern Christians choose to speak Greek. There are also a lot of conflicts dealing with the use of icons, or symbols of religious figures such as Jesus or the Virgin Mary. Controversy also surrounds different marriage policies. The Eastern churches keep the right to marry, while priests in the west could not marry. One of the greatest differences between the Byzantine (Eastern) and Roman (Western) churches was also the fact that in the east, someone called a Patriarch had supreme authority, while in the west, the Pope had papal supremacy. The different churches also separated many different holidays and put different amounts of importance on different holidays.
Q: What was the Great Schism?
A: These many differences had terrible impacts on Rome and the Byzantines. In 1054, the Byzantine Patriarch and I both excommunicated each other and the other's churches. This was the final split in the two Christian churches. The Byzantine church became known as the Orthodox Church, while my Church in the West became known as the Roman Catholic Church.
Q: Why was the Great Schism important?
A: This extreme religious movement was very important because it created two separate branches of Christianity, which I believe will forever exist. I also believe that this event that split our nation in two will lead to the decline of the Byzantine Empire.
Thank you Pope Leo IX!
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