Adult Education: “The Great Schism'

As current events tragically teach us, schism - the breaking off of eucharistic communion between church communities - is not an uncommon thing in Church history. Motivated by factors such as politics, personalities, heretical teachings, moral failures, rivalry, jealousy, and sanctimonious inflexibility, there is no Christian century that has not known schism. But while schism is always a serious matter within the life of the Church, most schisms have proven to be relatively short and rather inconsequential to the broad scope of history. And yet there are some schisms that have proven to be deeply consequential, and others that can only be described with the word "disastrous." From the perspective of an Orthodox Christian in the 21st century West, there can be no schism more profound than the "Great Schism," commonly dated to 1054, in which the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople entered into a conflict that eventually pulled East and West apart, seemingly permanently. Please join Fr. Ignatius on the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, Wednesday, June 29, at 7 pm, as he discusses three types of factors that led to the permanency of "Great Schism" and offers a brief assessment of what might need to change for it to be resolved.