<P> The Roman Empire was divided into a predominantly Greek speaking Eastern half and a Latin speaking Western half, resulting in a separation into two empires: The Western Empire and the Eastern Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire or Byzantium) with the passing of Theodosius I in AD 395 . With the fall of the Western Empire in 476 CE, the whole of what had been the western part of the empire was ruled by Germanic people . The subsequent mutual alienation of the Greek - speaking East and the Latin - speaking West led to increasing ignorance of the theological and ecclesiological developments of each tradition . </P> <P> The Eastern Church and the Western Church used respectively Greek and Latin as its medium of communication . Translations did not always correspond exactly . This also lead to misunderstandings . </P> <P> Papal primacy, also known as the "primacy of the Bishop of Rome," is an ecclesiastical doctrine concerning the respect and authority that is due to the pope from other bishops and their episcopal see s . </P> <P> In the Eastern Orthodox Churches, some understand the primacy of the Bishop of Rome to be merely one of greater honour, regarding him as primus inter pares ("first among equals"), without effective power over other churches . Other Orthodox Christian theologians, however, view primacy as authoritative power: the expression, manifestation and realization in one bishop of the power of all the bishops and of the unity of the Church . </P>

Major differences between greek orthodox and roman catholic