Exactly nine hundred
years have passed since the separation of the two great Churches of Christendom
when the Western Church broke away from the Eastern Orthodox. Many still seek
the cause of this most unfortunate division. Actually, it can be found in the
difference concerning the Primacy of the Pope of Rome.
Until the Fifth Century
A.D. there was not even a single instance of dissention or antagonism between
the two Churches. The bishop of Rome had always been considered the First in
the order of hierarchy. This was a natural consequence of the position of Rome
as the capital of the Roman Empire. When Constantinople became the new capital
of the Byzantine State its Bishop assumed the second position in the ranks of
hierarchy. The third canon of the Second Ecumenical Council (381) designates
the position of honor of the Bishop of Constantinople as second only to that of
the Bishop of Rome. This decision of the Council is based on the premise that
Constantinople is the new Rome, and incidentally, it has been retained among
the titles of the Patriarch of Constantinople.