Who is the head of the Orthodox Church? This is a question often asked, especially by Roman Catholics. No doubt they expect to find in the Orthodox Church an equivalent to the papacy. For Orthodox, however, the very existence of a visible head of the Roman Catholic Church indicates that, whatever its merits, the Roman Catholic Church is structurally a secular insti-tution. Visible heads are the symbols of secular corporations, companies or governments. Orthodox would argue that, ultimately, the Pope is the descendent of the pagan Roman Emperors: historically, when the Imperial Power disappeared from Rome, its authority and prestige were transferred, mainly by the Carolingians and their descendents, to the Papacy. In Roman Catholic ideology the Pope of Rome has been known as the "Vicar of Christ" ever since the Hildebrandine Reform of the late eleventh century. (Until that time, he had been known in Orthodox fashion as "the Vicar of St. Peter".) And since according to the "filioque" the Holy Spirit proceeds from Christ as from the Father, so the Holy Spirit must proceed from the "Vicar of Christ," i.e., the Pope. Is this not precisely the affirmation of the dogma of papal infallibility?
<> Has it ever occured to you that the Orthodox imitate Protestants in how they structure their arguements? Nearly all the arguements begin with rejection and criticism of Rome. That is far more revealatory than you folks ever imagine<>