Great Schism
From Wikinfo
The term Great Schism refers to either one of two schisms in the history of Christianity. A schism is a division or split caused by disagreement. Most commonly, "Great Schism" refers to the "great East-West schism", the split between the Eastern and Western churches in the eleventh century; the second schism, the "schism of the west" in the fourteenth century, refers to a time when three (claimant) popes were elected at the same time.
Schism between Western and Eastern Churches
With movement of the emperor and political authority from Rome to Constantinople, a division was caused in the religious climate of the empire. Because of the custom of the emperor having more or less authority in both temporal and religious matters, this eventually caused a split between Bishops following the Pope in Rome and those following the emperor in Constantinople.
The catalysts of the first schism included:
- the insertion of the filioque clause into the Nicene Creed by the West
- the use by the Western church of unleavened bread for the Eucharist
- disputes in the Balkans over whether the Western or Eastern church had jurisdiction
- the claim of the Patriarch of Constantinople to be an ecumenical or Universal Patriarch
- disputes over whether the Patriarch of Rome (the Pope) should be considered a higher authority than the other Patriarchs (all five Patriarchs of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church agreed that the Patriarch of Rome should receive higher honors than the other four; they disagreed about whether he had authority over the other four).
Since the 14th century, both traditions have tended to believe that the schism took place in 1054, when there was an exchange of excommunications by the representative of the latePope Leo IX and the Patriarch of Constantinople Michael Cerularius in 1054 (finally rescinded in 1965). Modern historians, however, see this as merely one episode in a long and complex process, which was not fully complete until 1724. The Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches each now claim to be "the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church." Though there have been frequent attempts to settle differences the breach has not been healed; though agreements were reached between Rome and Constantinople in 1274 and 1439, there was widespread rejection of these in the East, and they were repudiated in 1282 and 1453.
Schism inside the Roman Catholic Church
The second, and temporary, schism resulted from the return of the Papacy from Avignon to Rome by Pope Gregory XI in 1378, ending the Avignon Papacy.
After Gregory XI died, the Romans rioted to ensure an Italian was elected; the cardinals, fearing the crowds, elected an Italian, Pope Urban VI in 1378; but in the same year the majority of them removed themselves to Anagni, where they declared the election invalid because of intimidation, and then to Fondi, where they elected a rival Pope, Pope Clement VII. Later a council at Pisa was held in 1409 to try to solve the dispute, but it only resulted in the election of a third Pope, Pope Alexander V by the council, soon to be followed by Pope John XXIII.
Finally, the Council of Constance in 1417 deposed John XXIII and the Avignon Pope Benedict XIII, received the resignation of the Roman Pope Gregory XII, and elected Pope Martin V, thereby largely ending the schism, though Benedict continued to be recognized in Scotland until 1420, and in his own private lands until his death in 1423.
From this time forward in the Catholic church it was decreed explicitly that no Council had power over the Popes, and there is no way to undo a Papal election by anyone but the pope.
The alternate papal claimants have become known in history as antipopes.
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Great Schism" http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Schism August 21, 2003
