When was the actual title of First Among Equals used to define the Petrine bishopric? I'm curious as to whether the Orthodox Churches began asserting this title specifically after the Schism began to take shape, or if it was something that the Latin Church decided to reject that was there from the beginning.
2 Is there anything in the Roman Catholic doctrine of papal supremacy that would prohibit the Pope from relinquishing his authority as head of the Church, and instead be "First among Equals?" One of the fundamental differences separating the Roman Catholic Church from our fellow Christians in the Orthodox Church is the issue of papal supremacy.
It seems likely that the Roman church was governed by a group of presbyters from whom there very quickly emerged a presider or “first among equals” whose name was remembered and who was subsequently described as “bishop” after the mid-second century. 10 Raymond E. Brown, S.S.:
The Orthodox tradition originally recognized the Bishop of Rome as the "first among equals" but did not grant him superior authority on issues of dogma and practice. Today the title of Primus inter Pares is given to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
The first in honor among all Orthodox bishops (first among equals, as the Pope of Rome once was prior to schisming). He is a special patriarch (which is often considered equal to an archbishop in various traditions, different only in honor).
The Orthodox position is that the Bishop of Rome stopped being collegial, started being more than "first among equals" when this went on for too long, they removed the bishop of rome from the prayers for the bishops of the church... which happened before 1054... I'll get into more detail in an answer.