Most discussions on the subject of the Roman Catholic - Eastern Orthodox schism are written by apologists, typically with the agenda to prove that one side is 'exclusively right.' Often, these books focus on specific topics such as 'Peter's primacy' and never tackle the underlying issues, such as ecclesiology, or the meaning of words, such as "church" or "primacy." In this comprehensive, scholarly, yet easy-to-read study, the author cuts through the fog of popular apologetics and lays bare all the facts with unprecedented objectivity. Writing from an Orthodox perspective but unafraid to tell 'both sides of the story, ' Prof. Cleenewerck gets to the real roots of the ongoing schism while offering authentic avenues of reconciliation. The subjects addressed include: the nature of the Church, the meaning of the word 'catholic, ' the question of Peter's primacy and succession, the testimony of the Fathers and Councils, the filioque, papal infallibility, purgatory, clerical celibacy and continence, divorce, contraception, the marian doctrines and more. If you are Catholic, Orthodox, or considering the claims of either Church, you owe it to yourself to read this book. "... a very thorough and detailed approach to the problem of unity..." - Walter Cardinal Kasper