AHC: No Catholics

[Harald Sigurdson II]

Ok, the title was an attention catcher, but it still make sense without the distinctions being Orthodox and Catholic (which mean the samething) instead of the Latin and Eastern Rites. With any POD, keep present-day Ecumenial Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Catholic Church together. Bonus points if you keep the Byzantines around.

 

[Zlorfik]

Without wiping either one out?

Difficult. The pope (really, the patriarch of Rome) claimed supremacy over all other figures in Christendom, which the patriarch of Constantinople would never accept. Plus, the popes had supported a rival claimant to the Roman throne— utter anathema to the emperor in Constantinople.

Actually, I see one potential way. Have the Byzantines recover Rome before the Schism of 1054, and set up a loyal patriarch there to rival the pope in exile.