Unprecedented: Pope Francis, Russian Patriarch Kirill to meet in Cuba to heal 1,000yr rift
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch
Kirill, is to meet his Roman Catholic counterpart, Pope Francis, during a
historic visit to Latin America. The groundbreaking meeting is to happen in
mid-February in Cuba.
The meeting between heads the two major Christian
churches would be an unprecedented move to mend a millennium-long rift between
the Western and Eastern branches of the religion, which started with the Great
Schism of 1054.
Persecution of Christians in the modern world is the main
issue for the two leaders to discuss, the Russian Orthodox Church said.
Christians are among the minorities suffering at the hands of groups adhering
to radical Islamist ideology in places like Iraq, Syria and Somalia.
In addition to Cuba, Patriarch Kirill’s Latin American
tour from February 11-22 includes Paraguay, Chile and Brazil. The meeting with
Pope Francis will happen on February 12.
“The intersection of the routes allowed this meeting to
be organized,” commented Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of the Russian
Orthodox Church's Foreign Relations Department.
The pontiff will make a stop in Cuba on his way to
Mexico.
The meeting has been in preparation for two decades and
both Moscow and the Vatican agreed that some neutral country would be most
suited for it. Austria and Hungary were among those considered, but Cuba was
eventually chosen. The Patriarch and the Pope are expected to sign a joint
declaration after the talks.
The Holy See called the upcoming meeting a “sign of good
faith” and called on all Christians “to pray to God to bless the meeting,” the
Vatican said in a statement.
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