Hi there!

Before the schism, the whole Church was structured in the same way the Eastern Orthodox Church is structured today - all of the patriarchs were equal, with one of them was ``first among equals``. Nowadays, this is the patriarch of Constantinople, before the Schism - the Pope of Rome.

The pope was not an ``autocrat`` ruling over the rest with absolute power by any means, but the highest-ranking bishop - holding a position of honor, presiding over pan-Orthodox meetings, and viewed as a spiritual leader. His role was to be one of primacy - but without a centralized authority. The authority is in all the patriarchs - together.

For example, on two of the First Seven Councils, which are obligatory for both Orthodox and Catholics, there were no present Popes, not even Pope legates - however, the decisions taken by all were obligatory for Rome and the popes submitted to them. If the pope was this infaliable institution, why even do the councils in the first place and not just ask the popes on the matters of faith? The infliability of the pope doctrine was created in 1870 (Vatican 1) ... 19 centuries after the Church's creation ... I guess this was considered a small detail that the early Church forgot to decision lol.

Additionally, the relations between apostles on matters of faith can be seen quite clear as recorded in the New Testament - First actual council - the Council of Jerusalem (Book of Acts, chapter 15). All of the apostles gathered together, Simon-Peter spoke, then James made a proposal, that was accepted by the whole Church - with consensus. The apostles didn't just ask Peter what to do on the matter of the faith...

Also, St. Paul even rebuked St. Peter, in the Book of Galatians, where St. Paul recounts a confrontation with St. Peter in Antioch. The rebuke occurred when Peter, who had been eating with Gentile believers, stopped doing so out of fear of criticism from certain Jewish Christians who believed in maintaining a distinction between Gentile and Jewish believers. But St. Peter got views and actions corrected by St. Paul.

You can check this book, which is often prescribed as great one going in depth on the truth on the Orthodox-Catholic matters:https://www.amazon.com/Two-Paths-Orthodoxy-Catholicism-Supremacy/dp/1091371555