Though Christianity existed as a unified religion for more than a thousand years, two Christian sects emerged in 1054 A.D. (C.E.): Roman Catholicism and Greek Orthodoxy. Many small and large political, cultural, and doctrinal issues led to the split, including the location of the church leaders, the distribution of power, worship practice, and adjustments to church language. While both of these churches continue to have many commonalities, the split between the Eastern Church and the Western Church allowed for the development of two distinct branches of Christianity.