Before the split of 1054, the Roman Catholic Church or Western Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church or Byzantine Church were almost one. The two churches shared the same ideals and got along most of the time. They have experienced divisions in the past, but this situation has never been permanent because they have usually found a solution to their problems and differences. The split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in 1054 seemed to have no solution when their theological, political and cultural differences became too great for them to harmonize. Although the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church ultimately had more differences that eventually caused their separation, they once had quite a few similarities. The churches shared “many of the same prayers and liturgies” (“Eastern Orthodox,” 2001 para.1). The Eastern and Western Churches had different opinions on the definition and numbering of the sacraments, but they agreed on what the seven major sacraments should be for their churches. They also agreed that the male clergy would consist of bishops, priests and deacons. “On July 16, 1054, as afternoon prayers began, Cardinal Humbert, legate of Pope Leolx, entered the nearby Saint Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople. to the main altar, and placed there a scroll declaring that the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, was excommunicated” (Dennis, “The East-West schism.”, MasterFILE Premier, 1990, para. 1). This act is known as the beginning of the split between the two Churches. Although this act was seen as a way of breaking the stick, the split of the two churches had been in the works for some time. About a year ago...... middle of article ......ristianity.Encyclopædia Britannica Online, sv "Schism of 1054", accessed February 9, 2014, http://www.britannica.com/ EBchecked/topic/587056/Schism-of-1054.Dennis, George T. “The East-West Schism.” Christian History 9, no. 4 (November 1990): 20. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 3, 2014). Geanakoplos, Deno John. “On the Schism of the Greek and Roman Churches: A Confidential Papal Directive for the Implementation of the Union (1278).” Greek Orthodox Theological Review 1, no. 1 (January 1, 1954): 16-24. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed February 10, 2014). Scourtis, C. “Eastern Schism.” In New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed., 22-27. Flight. 5. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Accessed February 24, 2014. go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CCX3407703504&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=GVRL&sw =w&authCount=1.