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→Historical Background
One must acknowlege, however, that the ''filioque'' was introduced in the West first of all in Spain, then in Gaul, not in Rome, and not by the Pope's initiative. Centuries later, the phrase became something to argue about; for a long time, as mentioned, it was in no way justification for breaking communion.
By the same token, it is not accurate to say, as some historians do, that the "Catholic Church" introduced the ''filioque'' into the Mass. Eastern Churches, for example, the [[Maronite Catholic Church|Maronites]], fully part of the Roman Catholic Church, never used the ''filioque''. Moreover, the phrase was in wide use in the West, following the language of many Latin fathers, outside the Mass, especially in Spain and Gaul. Instead, it is more accurate to speak of the ''filioque'' as a Latin expression or as an expression found in the Latin Church. In the first millennium, as [[John S. Romanides]] points out, the "Catholic Church" is the "Roman Church" of both East and West.
For many years after the condemnations of 1054, many Orthodox and Catholics did not think of themselves as being in [[schism]]; neither Church, in fact, had excommunicated the other. Many Slavic Christians saw the whole episode as a dispute among individuals.