Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church met with Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church in Havana, Cuba on Friday, 12 Feb. Their meeting was the first between the leaders of their respective churches - the two biggest denominations - since the schism of 1054.
What's the schism of 1054?
Let me try to sequence the diary of events of the long standing differences between Western and Eastern Christianities that finally caused a definitive break and Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox(Greek, Russian and other) still remain separate. And so, here I go:-
1043 The rigid and ambitious Michael Cerularius was named the Patriarch of Constantinople.
1048 A French bishop was elected Pope Leo IX. He and the clerics who accompanied him to
Rome were intent on reforming the papacy and the entire church.
In the 1040s, problems arose in southern Italy(Then, under Byzantine rule) when Norman warriors
conquered the region and replaced Greek(Eastern) bishops with Latin(Western) ones.
Consequently, the people were confused about the following:-
(a) Proper forms of liturgy and other external matters.
(b) Clerical marriages.
(c) The bread used for Eucharist.
(d) Dates of fasting and
(e) Other usages.
1052 When Cerularius heard that the Normans were forbidding Greek customs in southern Italy,
he retaliated by closing the Latin churches in Constantinople. He, then, induced bishop Leo
to compose an attack on the Latin use of unleavened bread and other practices.
In response to the provocative treatises, Pope Leo IX sent his chief adviser, Humbert, a
rigid and narrow minded man with a strong sense of papal authority to Constantinople.
Saturday, 16 Jul 1054
As afternoon prayers were about to begin, Cardinal Humbert, strode into the Cathedral of Hagia
Sophia right up to the main altar and placed on it a parchment that declared the ex-communication
of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius. He, then, marched out of the church, shook its dust from his feet and left the city.
A week later, the Patriarch solemnly condemned the cardinal.
My take.
It's my fond hope that the churches are united for the good of the world. The statesmanship and the spirit of reconciliation exhibited by Pope Francis are indeed laudable!
Tailpiece.
It would also be worthwhile to touch upon the Crusades that had begun around that period.
Pope Urban II launched the first Crusade in 1095. As a prelude to it, he'd delivered a soul stirring sermon at Clermont, the gist of which is reproduced below,
"A horrible tale has gone forth. An accursed race utterly alienated from God has invaded the
lands of the Christians and depopulated them by the sword, plundering and fire......Tear that land from the wicked race and subject it to yourselves".
The people were riled and shouted, 'Deus vult! Deus vult!'(God wills it) - It went on to become the battle cry of the Crusades to liberate the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
What's the schism of 1054?
Let me try to sequence the diary of events of the long standing differences between Western and Eastern Christianities that finally caused a definitive break and Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox(Greek, Russian and other) still remain separate. And so, here I go:-
1043 The rigid and ambitious Michael Cerularius was named the Patriarch of Constantinople.
1048 A French bishop was elected Pope Leo IX. He and the clerics who accompanied him to
Rome were intent on reforming the papacy and the entire church.
In the 1040s, problems arose in southern Italy(Then, under Byzantine rule) when Norman warriors
conquered the region and replaced Greek(Eastern) bishops with Latin(Western) ones.
Consequently, the people were confused about the following:-
(a) Proper forms of liturgy and other external matters.
(b) Clerical marriages.
(c) The bread used for Eucharist.
(d) Dates of fasting and
(e) Other usages.
1052 When Cerularius heard that the Normans were forbidding Greek customs in southern Italy,
he retaliated by closing the Latin churches in Constantinople. He, then, induced bishop Leo
to compose an attack on the Latin use of unleavened bread and other practices.
In response to the provocative treatises, Pope Leo IX sent his chief adviser, Humbert, a
rigid and narrow minded man with a strong sense of papal authority to Constantinople.
Saturday, 16 Jul 1054
As afternoon prayers were about to begin, Cardinal Humbert, strode into the Cathedral of Hagia
Sophia right up to the main altar and placed on it a parchment that declared the ex-communication
of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius. He, then, marched out of the church, shook its dust from his feet and left the city.
A week later, the Patriarch solemnly condemned the cardinal.
My take.
It's my fond hope that the churches are united for the good of the world. The statesmanship and the spirit of reconciliation exhibited by Pope Francis are indeed laudable!
Tailpiece.
It would also be worthwhile to touch upon the Crusades that had begun around that period.
Pope Urban II launched the first Crusade in 1095. As a prelude to it, he'd delivered a soul stirring sermon at Clermont, the gist of which is reproduced below,
"A horrible tale has gone forth. An accursed race utterly alienated from God has invaded the
lands of the Christians and depopulated them by the sword, plundering and fire......Tear that land from the wicked race and subject it to yourselves".
The people were riled and shouted, 'Deus vult! Deus vult!'(God wills it) - It went on to become the battle cry of the Crusades to liberate the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
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