What caused a split in the Christian church? • The Great Schism of 1054 was the split between the Eastern and Western Christian churches. • The Pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. However, each local Bishop and Patriarch (in charge of a group of Bishops) is responsible for the care of Christians in their Orthodox region. • The Roman Catholic Church accepts the doctrine of original sin (all people are born with Adam’s sin of disobeying God). Orthodox Christians do not accept the doctrine of original sin. • The Roman Catholic Church accepts the concept of Purgatory or a place where people who have committed small sins go before admission to Heaven. The Orthodox Church does not accept the concept of Purgatory. • Orthodox Christians use icons or small pictures of saints and Jesus. Icons help practitioners in prayer and meditation.