In 1054, most of the Eastern Churches split from the Catholic Church. And in 1517, Martin Luther published his famous 95 Theses, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, in which churches began to split from the Catholic Church in Europe. This has left the Body of Christ shattered into three primary groups—Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches.
    
The Second Vatican Council called for us Catholics to begin working toward a healing of the Body of Christ, learning how to work with our Protestant and Orthodox brothers and sisters, and to seek eventual reconciliation. 
    
Reunion with the Protestant churches is a more difficult process, as there are thousands of Protestant groups, and none has any authority over each other. The Eastern, or Orthodox, Churches are in union with one another, and they can negotiate as one. Also, we Catholics recognize legitimacy of the Eastern Churches, accepting their theology with a very few exceptions. Many people hope that a true reunion with the Churches of the East could be accomplished by 2054 AD, the 1000th anniversary of the Great Schism. 
    
Let us pray for this great reunion.