A major cause of the schism between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches was the

• A. Primacy of the pope in determining matters of Christian doctrine
• B. Disagreement over the date of Easter
• C. Differences in languages
• D. Geographic divisions

Answer: (A)

The main concept here is how authority over church doctrine and leadership is organized. The Great Schism between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches grew out of a clash over papal authority. The Roman Catholic tradition holds that the pope has universal jurisdiction and final say in matters of faith for the whole church. The Eastern Orthodox view, however, emphasizes a model of shared leadership among all bishops, with the Ecumenical Councils and the Patriarch of Constantinople regarded as first among equals rather than a single, universally ruling pope.

Because of this disagreement about who has ultimate authority to define doctrine and govern the church, the two branches drifted apart, eventually formalizing a split. Other options reflect real differences between East and West, such as calendar practices, language, or geographic separation, but these did not drive the division the same way the question of papal supremacy did.