Question

The Western Church claimed authority over the Eastern Church because the Pope?

a. wanted the Eastern Church to remain Christian.
b. wanted the Eastern Church to move to Rome
c. believed he had power over both churches
d. believed he had power over European kings.

Answer 1

The Western Church claimed authority over the Eastern Church because the Pope "c. believed he had power over both churches". He based this belief on the fact that this was the Holy Land.

Answer 2

The correct answer is c. believed he had power over both churches

However, this wasn't as simple as it seemed since the Eastern church disliked pope and believed that he shouldn't lead them. This led to the great schism in which the Eastern Orthodox church and the Western Catholic church were formed as separate entities. It has remained so even to this day with the Eastern Orthodox church having power in Russia and various other eastern European countries.