Catholic–Eastern Orthodox relations

While an informal divide between the East and West existed prior to the split, these were internal disputes, under the umbrella of the recognised “one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church” of the Nicene Creed.

The anguish over the past has spurred both sides, particularly in recent decades, to work towards restoring Christian unity through ecumenical efforts.

[12] Historians of the split have traditionally, following in the footsteps of Edward Gibbon,[13] recognised 1054 as the watershed of relational breakdown between the Eastern and Western spheres of the Christian World.

[12] The primary cause of the schism is often recognised to be the ecclesiological differences,[17] most notably the Bishop of Rome's growing claim to universal jurisdiction.

The pre-eminence of this factor, however, is a heavily contested point; with numerous scholars placing greater importance on the theological[18][19][20] or political[21] disagreements instead.

[22] The phenomenon of cultural alienation between the Latin West and Greek East is crucial for understanding the historic relationship between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

[27][28] In April 1204, Catholic Crusader armies captured and looted Constantinople, then the capital of the Byzantine Empire and seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Reports of Crusader looting and brutality scandalised and horrified the Orthodox world; the Byzantine Empire was left much poorer, smaller, and ultimately less able to defend itself against the Seljuk and Ottoman conquests that followed; the actions of the Crusaders thus directly accelerated the collapse of Christendom in the east, and in the long run helped facilitate the later Ottoman conquest.

In 2001 he wrote that "It is tragic that the assailants, who set out to secure free access for Christians to the Holy Land, turned against their brothers in the faith.

In 2004, while Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople, was visiting the Vatican, John Paul II asked, "How can we not share, at a distance of eight centuries, the pain and disgust?".

"The spirit of reconciliation is stronger than hatred," he said during a liturgy attended by Roman Catholic Archbishop Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, France.

However, it was only short lived, for while Emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus was enthusiastic about reunion,[31] the Eastern clergy were largely opposed to the decisions of the council.

This was short lived, due to the Eastern Orthodox deciding to later reject the union,[34] driven by the lower class’ anti-western sentiments and the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453.

[37] The Eastern Catholic Churches emerged from a movement which sought to enter full communion with the Pope while retaining elements of their traditional liturgical practices and canonical rules.

[38] Leading Orthodox theologian and bishop Kallistos Ware has described this approach by Catholics, especially the Society of Jesus, as a "Trojan horse policy".

[39] In fact, Archpriest Vladislav Tsypin has even claimed that today this is the primary factor preventing the Orthodox and Catholics from fostering better relations.

[43] Despite this new openness, however, many Orthodox remain hesitant,[44] especially in light of recent developments and continued debate over topics such as the essence-energy distinction.

[1] Significantly, at the close of the council Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras mutually lifted their respective excommunications in the Catholic–Orthodox Joint Declaration of 1965.

[51] Consecutive popes have chosen to recite the Nicene Creed with Eastern Patriarchs according to the text prior to the addition of the Filioque clause.

The Orthodox have engaged with the Vatican on several occasions over recent decades, significantly Patriarch Bartholomew I attending the Assisi Prayer Meeting.

In 1980 the Commission first met in Rhodes where they released a joint preparatory document stating that a deeper understanding of the sacraments would help further dialogue.

Alternatively the Orthodox will often diagnose the problem as primarily theological, pointing to Catholic dogmatic teachings on the Immaculate Conception and Papal Infallibility as being heretical.

Despite the enduring differences between the Catholic and Orthodox churches some scholars hold that the main problem halting progress is behavioural and not doctrinal.