|| The Great Schism of 1054 & the Split of Christianity ||

                   The Great Schism of 1054 marked the first major split in the history of Christianity, separating the Orthodox Church in the East from the Roman Catholic Church in the West. Until this time, all of Christendom existed under one body, but the churches in the East were developing distinct cultural and theological differences from those in the West. Tensions gradually increased between the two branches, and finally boiled over into the Great Schism of 1054, also called the East-West Schism. 
                  The Great Schism of 1054 The Great Schism of 1054 marked the split of Christianity and established the separation between the Orthodox Churches in the East and the Roman Catholic Church in the West. 
• Start Date: For centuries, tension increased between the two 
                   branches until they finally boiled over on July 16, 1054. 
• Also Known As: The East-West Schism; the Great Schism. 
• Key Players: Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople; Pope Leo IX. 
• Causes: Ecclesiastical, theological, political, cultural, jurisdictional, 
                and language differences. 
• Result: Permanent separation between the Roman Catholic Church 
          and Eastern Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, and Russian Orthodox Churches.   
          Recent relations between East and West have improved, but 
          to date, the churches remain divided. Further efforts toward 
           reconciliation have included: 
• In 1979, the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue 
           Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was established. 
• In 1995, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople visited the Vatican 
         City for the first time, to join in an inter-religious day of prayer for peace. 
• In 1999, Pope John Paul II visited Romania by invitation of the 
          Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The occasion was 
          the first visit of a pope to an Eastern Orthodox country 
          since the Great Schism of 1054. 
• In 2004, Pope John Paul II gave back relics to the East from the 
           Vatican. This gesture was significant because the relics were 
           believed to have been robbed from Constantinople during the 
           Fourth Crusade of 1204. 
• In 2005, Patriarch Bartholomew I, along with other Eastern Orthodox
            Church leaders, attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II. 
• In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed his commitment 
             to work toward reconciliation. 
• In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI visited Istanbul at the invitation 
            of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. 
• In 2006, Greek Orthodox Church Archbishop Christodoulos 
           visited Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in the first official visit of 
          a Greek church leader to the Vatican. 
• In 2014, Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew signed a Joint 
            Declaration affirming their commitment to seek unity between their
             churches. by Mary Fairchild Sources 
• The Complete Book of When and Where in the Bible and 
            Throughout History (p. 164). 
• Pocket Dictionary of Church History: Over 300 Terms Clearly 
             and Concisely Defined (p. 122). 
• The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed. rev., p. 1089).