alternatehistory.com

The idea of the Pentarchy was rarely a reality due to the various conflicting claims for the each seat based on sectarian lines. Even today, there are four overlapping Alexandrian Patriarchs (Coptic Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, Melkite Greek Catholic, Eastern Orthodox) and five Antiochean Patriarchs (Melkite Greek, Syriac Maronite, Syriac Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox). What would happen if, early in the timeline of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire, a schism in the Church lead to the creation of a separate Eastern Orthodox patriarch in Rome rivaling the claim of the Pope? Their see would cover Italy in name but most likely would be whatever areas Byzantium still controlled in practice like the Mezzogiorno, Ravenna, and Venice. Is this viable at all? What are the ramifications of such a development on Christianity as a whole?
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