Ah, but there's the rub! We hold that the Catholic position is not a feudalistic Frankish invention but the true ancient ecclesiology of the One Church and that it is the Orthodox position that is a later invention.
The truth be known, I believe that both the absolutist view of the papacy of some conservative Catholics and the merely "Primus inter pares" view of the Orthodox are exaggerations. This is a natural tension of the operation of subsidiarity. The U.S. has the same tension in finding the equilibrium between the federal and state governments in federalism. I am hopeful that wiser and calmer minds can find this equilibrium that will not contradict the definitions of Vatican I nor destroy the true authority of the local bishop and local churches. This was what Vatican II attempted to do. For this to happen, however, we must pull back from both extremist claims and extremist fears of abuse by the other.
“We hold that the Catholic position is not a feudalistic Frankish invention but the true ancient ecclesiology of the One Church and that it is the Orthodox position that is a later invention.”
You believe that the non synodal system of the Rome of today is that of the ancient church? Really?
“...the merely “Primus inter pares” view of the Orthodox are exaggerations.”
Do you think that the comments of Met. John of Pergamum relative to primacy and a primus are “exaggerations”?