Great Schism

noun

1. a period of division in the Roman Catholic Church, 1378–1417, over papal succession, during which there were two, or sometimes three, claimants to the papal office.

Great Schism

noun

1. the breach between the Eastern and Western churches, usually dated from 1054
2. the division within the Roman Catholic Church from 1378 to 1429, during which rival popes reigned at Rome and Avignon

Example Sentences

We would endure a time second only in bitterness and division to the great schism that attended the Vietnam War.

From The Daily Beast

These manifold scandals were aggravated by the great schism of the West, which continued above fifty years.

From Project Gutenberg

The great schism in the Russian Church became an agent of emigration and colonization.

From Project Gutenberg

The papacy, which had been so fundamentally shaken by the great schism of the West, came through this trial victorious.

From Project Gutenberg

Their number increased during the Great Schism because there were several rival obediences.

From Project Gutenberg

It was at that Council that the great schism took place, and that the ancient Canon was rearranged or disarranged.

From Project Gutenberg