What was the beginning of schism between Roman and eastern orthodox churches?

Answer 1

The first Unified Church began in 325, when Emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire declared Christianity the religion of the empire, he then called an Ecumenical Council (this was the first) where all of the separate churches (which had been practicing in hiding during the pagan era) came together to sort out their differences and become on Holy Orthodox Church.

Within this group were Egyptian, Greek, Thracian, Roman, Gual, Antioch and Palestinian churches and more, they ironed out traditions relative to Easter, language, Icons, marriage, wars, politics, and everything the Orthodox church continues today.

It was decided that each church would rule its own set of churches based on geography and language. Each church would follow the same stature, but language was to be the common language of the people (mostly that was Latin or Greek at the time). In the 9th century, Rome was sacked, the city was dead and the eastern empire flourished. The west lay in ruin. France, Spain, and the Italian States and England had been conquered by feudal leaders and the church remained. But crime, and terror were high and they needed a strong unifying leader to end the wars.

In the 10th century the western Churches, of France, England Spain and Italy formed the Catholic Orthodox Church (a branch of Orthodox faith such as Greek, or Russian Orthodox). Under the Catholic Church they were ruled in disputably by one man (Pope) and many traditions were changed, such as marriage of priests, days of holidays like Easter. In 1031 on top of numerous often views as violent and corrupt changes, the Catholic Church severed ties with the Eastern Orthodox churches.

Today there can never again be an Ecumenical Council as there were before the Schism, because it would require all of the original foundations of the Orthodox Church including the severed Catholic Church...

Answer 2

Roman Catholic AnswerThe Catholic faith emanated from God from the beginning of time, and was established on earth definitively from the side of Christ on the cross outside in Jerusalem when He side was pierced by a spear, around 33 A.D.. Then it was shown to the world at Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit, fifty-three days later. That was the origin of the Roman Catholic Church, although it was not commonly called "Roman" until after the protestant reformation.

The Orthodox Churches split from the Catholic Church over many centuries, have rejoined and re-split. It has been mostly political, although there are some noticeable differences, especially after all these centuries in which the Orthodox have remained pretty much stagnant as far as growing in the faith. It is covered in the article below the one on the Catholic Church.

from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

759 "The eternal Father, in accordance with the utterly gratuitous and mysterious design of his wisdom and goodness, created the whole universe and chose to raise up men to share his own divine life." (Lumen gentium 2) to which he calls all men in his Son. "The Father . . . determined to call together in a holy Church those who should believe in Christ." (Lumen gentium 2) This "family of God" is gradually formed and takes shape during the stages of human history, in keeping with the Father's plan. In fact, "already present in figure at the beginning of the world, this Church was prepared in marvelous fashion in the history of the people of Israel and the old Alliance. Established in this last age of the world and made manifest in the outpouring of the Spirit, it will be brought to glorious completion at the end of time. (Lumen gentium 2)

766 The Church is born primarily of Christ's total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross. "The origin and growth of the church are symbolized by the blood and water which flowed from the open side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the 'wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.'" Sacrosanctum concilium 5) As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam's side, so the church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross. (Cf. St. Ambrose, In Luc. 2, 85-89: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 15, 1666-1668)

767 "When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that he might continually sanctify the Church." (Lumen gentium 4; cf. Jn 17:4) The "the Church was openly displayed to the crowds and the spread of the gospel among the nations, through preaching, was begun." (Ad gentes 4) As the "convocation" of all men for salvation, the Church in her very nature is missionary, sent by Christ to all the nations to make disciples of them. (Cf. Mt 28:19-20; Ad gentes 2; 5-6)

from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957

The Eastern Orthodox Church

The Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem with their associated churches which gradually severed themselves from the Holy See after 1054. ... It now consists of the four independent churches governed by patriarchs of those places and the following other autocephalous churches, namely, of Cyprus, Russia, Georgia, Sinai, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Rumania, Finland, Albania, Poland and Japan. The patriarch of Constantinople has only a primacy of honour; the chiefs of all these churches govern under the control of a holy synod. The Byzantine rite in many languages, is common to all. Their orders and sacraments are valid. The parochial clergy are usually married, and bishops are chosen from among the monks, formerly very numerous. In theory there is complete unity, in fact a substantial agreement touching faith and morals. The Catholic Church regards these churches as being only in schism, but certain dogmatic differences are maintained by many eminent Orthodox theologians. They teach that the infallible Church has no visible head and speaks through the voice of the bishops as a body; the primacy (except of honour) and infallibility of the Holy See are rejected and only the first seven councils recognized as ecumenical. They reject the Filioque, teach that our Lady was purified from original sin at the Annunciation (cf.,Immaculate Conception) and are confused in their doctrine of Purgatory. Their teaching on the Real Presence seems indistinguishable from Transubstantiation, but like all dissident orientals they believe that consecration requires the epiklesis. They reject indulgences, alleging that sacramental absolution remits al temporal punishment. The practice of admitting divorce for adultery and in other circumstances is spreading. Many of the clergy of these churches are most inadequately trained; the people exceedingly devout and attached to their liturgies, but the use of the sacraments is far from general or even common, and their practice accordingly lags behind their external piety. Devotion to our Lady and other saints, and to the images and relics is very strong. The Orthodox are the second largest Christian body, numbering some 40 millions (excluding the large but uncertain number in U.S.S.R. [note-this article was written in 1957]), and found by emigration in most parts of the world; but except by Russians in the middle and far East they have been able to do practically no foreign missionary work....

Orthodox

1.. In Common speech, orthodox as an adjective is used of those who profess true doctrine in all its integrity in reference to some standard, named or implied. In this sense the word is used by the Catholic Church in official pronouncements (e.g., in the oath against Modernism) and the liturgy (e.g. in the prayer Te ignitur of the Mass) in reference to the true faith of the Church, and it is so used by religious writers, e.g., St. Ignatius in the "Spiritual Exercises."

2. In its technical historical sense, orthodox is as a noun and adjective applied to those Christians who accept and hold the definitions of the Council of Chalcedon, namely, Catholics and "Greeks" as against monophysites and Nestorians. In the course of time it has become the distinguishing epithet of the "Greeks" (Orthodox Eastern Church) and Catholics acknowledge their right to the name in this sense. If it is understood in sense 1. (Above) we must use it of them only by courtesy, just as the Orthodox call us Catholics though claiming true catholicity for themselves alone (cf., Catholic-Orthodox). The name is sometimes given by English writers to other Eastern dissidents (Armenians, Jacobite, Copts). This is absurd, both in historical fact and according to the usage of those concerned, who would vehemently repudiate the epithet in this sense: but the Copts not infrequently use it for themselves, apparently as part of the general imitation of their Byzantine neighbours, as do the Malabar Jacobites.