[jo kus]

The Orthodox never left the Church. They stopped communing with the Latin side of the Church, when the Latin side stopped communing with the East. Nevertheless, their clergy remains valid, and both particular Churches draw their authority from their Apostolic founders.

That was a good answer, Kosta. Neither church can be faulted entirely, and both still remain part of the Apostolic Church established by Christ.

Brother in Christ

[kosta50]

Neither church can be faulted entirely, and both still remain part of the Apostolic Church established by Christ

Correct. And the issue of papacy is not whether the Orthodox recognize the Pope, but what is the scope of his jurisdiction. Until we clarify the jurisdiction, we cannot even tackle the theology. But what most people fail to understand is that we are all part of one Church, given to the Apostles, and our divisions are within the Church; until such divisions are resolved, we cannot share communion. That's a world of difference with the 'church' created by a renegade priest in Germany.