Sarah Monday
Prof. Darg
HIS 1122
October 19, 2023
Unit 2 Discussion: Europe 1500-1871
2A
. Was there any way that the Protestant-Catholic schism in western Christianity
could have been avoided? If so, how? If not, why not?
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.
For centuries, tension increased between the two branches until they finally boiled over on
July 16, 1054. The causes were: ecclesiastical, theological, political, cultural, jurisdictional, and
language differences. 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.
This resulted in a 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. To this day, the schism has not
been wholly mended.
Works Cited:
Mending the Great Schism: The Pope Takes a Second Step. Christianity Today, 24(1), 56.
