The End of a Lengthy Feud
February 12, 2016
In 1054, a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, French Benedictine monk Humbert of Silva Candida, paid a visit to the city of Constantinople at the request of Pope Leo IX. Constantinople (now Istanbul) was at that time the center of the Byzantine Empire and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Humbert sought an interview with the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Patriarch Michael Cerularius.
Relations between the two branches of the Christian church had been deteriorating for years. The Eastern Church was Greek-speaking. The Roman Catholic Church used the Latin language, and its clergy spoke Romance languages in their everyday life. The two branches disagreed on who had the ultimate authority. Pope Leo felt that he had authority over the Eastern Orthodox Church and its patriarch. The patriarch disagreed. The Catholics used unleavened bread (bread without yeast or a rising agent) for Communion and had added the phrase “from the son” (filioque, in Latin) to the Nicene Creed (an expression of what Christians believe).
Relations had been strained for some time, but the feud escalated with Humbert’s visit. The Patriarch refused to see the cardinal, who waited in Constantinople for months. Finally, Humbert sent the Patriarch of Constantinople a letter of excommunication. This was a serious matter. People who were excommunicated could not receive any sacraments, such as Communion or penance (forgiveness). The faithful believed that if one died while excommunicated, it was impossible to go to heaven. In retaliation, the patriarch excommunicated Humbert and Pope Leo. (Leo had been dead for a few months by this time.)
Since 1054, there has been a schism (break) in relations between the two churches. Over the last few years, however, some work has been done to heal the breach in Christianity. In 2010, the Patriarch of Constantinople wrote an encyclical (letter) discussing the importance of working toward unity among all Christians. In 2013, Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, invited the Patriarch of Constantinople to attend his installation, and the patriarch accepted. The Russian Orthodox Church, however, has largely stayed away from any ecumenical dialogue with Francis. Today, in Havana, Cuba, Francis met with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Church experts closely followed the meeting, hoping to gauge whether a 1,000-year-old feud may be nearly over. Francis was in the Western Hemisphere to start a six-day visit to Mexico.
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