The Nature and Characteristics of the Ecclesiastical Schism

Abstract

There may be various criteria, characteristics, or signs to determine divisions in the Christian Church, on the basis of which it is possible to reveal and identify these schisms.

The first sign of church division can be differences or contradictions between important doctrinal ideas. The second criterion of schism is the creation of a parallel hierarchy. There is another sign of real church schism. This is the antagonistic mood of the people towards those from whom they are religiously separated. This kind of attitude of the people further strengthens the division and gives it an irreversible character. Perhaps, this is not accidental because, according to the definition, the members of the church are not only clerics, representatives of the hierarchy, but also all believers.

There is another important criterion of schism, which, unfortunately, is often ignored. This is a ‘sacramental relationship”, that is, the participation of members of formally separated churches in each other's sacraments. This kind of relationship between Latins (Catholics) and Greeks (Orthodox) was not always broken.

It could be argued that, for example, the Great Schism of 1054 finally met all these criteria to be considered a full schism. Naturally, all the signs did not appear immediately. Their appearance took different periods of time.

Thus, the Great Schism finally had all the real signs of a schism (distinctions in doctrine, the development of parallel hierarchies, the antagonistic mood of the believers, the severing of sacramental relations), but in certain regions, some of these "alienating" signs, due to historical circumstances, used to disappear (e.g., restoration of mutual participation in the sacraments). But since such events were temporary and unstable, they could not eliminate the general and permanent reality of church schism. In this context, it is completely irrelevant to appeal to such "mitigating" factors, namely, crusade cooperation, individual exceptional figures who did not share the radical positions of the supporters of the schism, the issue of mentioning or not mentioning in the diptych or mixed marriages.