When the church split in two in 1054, the true church (Orthodox) separated from the heretical Roman Catholics. After this, Byzantium became the new Rome. In 1473, the church was moved to Moscow, and the Russian Empire became the new heir of Rome. In 1917, the Russian Empire dissolved. Its successor, the Soviet Union, was a communist and secular state, making the Grand Duchy of Finland the only heir of the Russian Empire. Thus, Finland became the only legitimate heir to the Russian, Byzantine, and Roman Empires and their territories.