Quote Originally Posted by Chaotix View Post
1. I haven't seen a thread with that title in recent memory, but the best way to find out would be to use the search function.

2. If you are the Byzantine Emperor, are at peace, and the Ecumenical Patriarch is your vassal and at peace, then you should be able to make him independent simply by going to his diplomacy screen and clicking "Grant Independence". I just tested it myself in my Byzantine game.
Granting Independence was added in the last major patch. Your game will need to be up to date in order for you to do that.