what major difference between the Eastern and the Western churches led to their schism

Answer 1

One of the major differences between the Eastern and Western churches that led to their schism was the issue of papal authority. In the Western church, the Pope held a primacy of authority over all other bishops and was seen as the supreme authority in matters of church doctrine and governance. This belief in papal supremacy was not shared by the Eastern church, which saw the authority of the Pope as just one among equals.

This difference in understanding of papal authority, as well as other theological and ecclesiastical disagreements, gradually led to tensions between the Eastern and Western churches. The final break between the two churches occurred in 1054, when the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope excommunicated each other, marking the formal beginning of the East-West Schism. This schism has persisted to this day, with the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches remaining separate entities with different beliefs and practices.