Great Schism

I was a little confused about what was going on with this whole "Great Schism", so I asked a good friend of mine, Anne. Here's how our conversation went:

Christian Cross

Me: Hey Anne! Would you mind telling me what's going on with the Great Schism? I'm just lost.
Anne: Well, this happened exactly in the year of 1054. The Great Schism is the split between eastern and western Christianity. The western branch of it called itself the Roman Catholic Church, and the eastern branch called itself the Greek Orthodox Church.
Me: Oh, my! Why did this happen?
Anne: For a number of reasons, really. The eastern branch clergy kept the right to marry, as opposed to the western side. Greek was the language of the Greek Orthodox Church, and Latin was the language of the Roman Catholic church. The two sides had different views on a pope and how much power they should receive. Even the usage of icons was something they sparred over! One thing on top of the next happened, and then before you know it, there was a split in the religion!
Me: Why was this quite so important?
Anne: Well, the disagreements between the two different sides set off battles within our empire. It also established grudges that would be held for time! It was kind of a rivalry. Also, the Great Schism gave birth to two new branches of Christianity that I believe will last for a long time.