The East-West Schism - 1054
In 1054, there were two distinct churches, one in the east (Greek speaking) and one in the west (Latin churches). Because of the distance, the two churches had been drifting apart for some time. The problem that put the icing on the cake was when Pope Leo IX had an assistant who decided to excommunicate Patriarch Michael Cerularius. As a response to that action, Patriarch Michael Cerularius excommunicated the Pope!
There was another issue that caused tension between the east and the west. After the Nicene Creed had been written and established, the Western Church decided to add a word of clarification to it. They did not present this to the Eastern Church, and the Eastern Church objected to the way the West changed the creed. The Western Church was trying to prevent Arianism from coming up again (Arianism is the belief that Jesus is not God in the flesh). Also, there were differences in ideas of church government between the two groups.
So, after these things took place, the church was fully divided and no longer working together. The Roman Catholic Church was in the west, and the Greek Orthodox Church was in the east.
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