This is by far the most complete and most balanced introduction to the issues separating the Roman Catholic Church from the Orthodox Church that I have yet read. Father Laurent is very thorough and very fair in his exposition of the various historical, theological, and other factors which divide the Roman Church from the rest of the Ancient Apostolic Church. I do not always agree with his conclusions and I think that he tends a bit too often to minimize factors that are indeed major issues when their full implications are taken into account. One or two divergences in wording and/or emphasis is perhaps possible to overlook or even reconcile; however, there are a great number of aberrations and innovations which have developed in the Roman Church in the past thousand years which are quite foreign not only to modern Orthodoxy (as if there were such a thing) but also the ancient faith of the Church as taught by the Apostles. Nonetheless, I recommend this as an introduction to the issues. ( )