That is absolutely correct. The Orthodox Church recognizes that (Old) Rome carries the primacy of the elder brother, but no jurisdictional authority over the entire Church. It is, indeed the first-in-love concept.
The Undivided Church recognized the Bishop of [Old] Rome (aka the Pope of Rome) as the first in honor and privilege, followed by second in honor and equal priviledge the Bishop of Constantinople [New Rome]. This recognition is not optional -- it obligatory because it was proclaimed by an Ecumenical Council (as well as by an Imperial Decree at another time).
This privileged status among Patriarchs belong to these two because of Rome and Constantinople became impirial capitals respectively, and for no other reason. The Unidivided Church never proclaimed (through an Ecumenical Council) that the Bishop of Old Rome was in any way scripturally entitled to greater jurisdictional authority over other Patriarchs; he was jurisdictionally supreme only in the western Patriarchate.
The real schism between the East and the West occurred at Vatican I, when the Pope of Rome proclaimed himself inerrant (ex cathedra) as a dogma unknown to the Undivided Church. This Latin innovation did more to assure no reconcilliation was possible than any other issue. The Latin Church, of course, taught imperial papacy, and the "Viccar of Christ" model ever since the Great Schism, but it was never a matter of dogma unil 1870.
Quite a good summary.
Do you know if anything ever happened post-schism regarding the status of the Russian church? I've heard it reffered to as the third rome, but can't find much on it.
George
Of course, a very relevant lesson in all of this is the fact that the ecumenical council vaulted Constantinople ahead of the more ancient Patriarchates of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem.
Why? Because it was the city of greatest importance in the life of the empire and the church.
By this same token, if we have a future ecumenical council, there should be another reordering of the importance and precedence of the existing Patriarchates, IMHO.