Pope heads for historic meeting with Russian Orthodox leader

The significance of the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill can also be seen in light of the history of relations with the Russian Orthodox Church, Fr Destivelle continues.

Making history: It will be the first time a pope has ever met face-to-face with the Moscow patriarch, who heads the largest Orthodox Christian branch, even as recent popes and leaders of other Orthodox branches have worked to bridge a millennium-old gap between their communions.

Pope Francis will move on to Mexico following the Cuba talks.

The papal plane is set to depart Rome shortly after sunrise on Friday (Feb. 12), earlier than expected because of the surprise stopover in Cuba announced last week. That’s why he will fly to the southern state of Chiapas to meet with the indigenous community and will also meet with young people in Morelia, in central Mexico, as well as patients at a children’s hospital in the capital. To good effect: a LifeWay Research survey found almost 2 in 5 American Protestant pastors (37%) said Francis had a positive impact on their opinion of the Catholic Church, while more than 3 in 5 said they saw the pope as their brother in Christ (63%).

Attempts to keep the two sides in contact have continued despite the lack of progress, however, and Pope John Paul II became the first Pope since the Schism to visit an Eastern Orthodox-majority country, Romania, in May of 1999.

“Although many problems in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church remain unresolved, the protection of Christians in the Middle East against the genocide is a challenge that requires urgent united efforts”, said Vladimir Legoida, spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church. But few other churches, whether in czarist and in communist Russia, were as close to local communities as Russian Orthodoxy.

The Havana meeting was hailed by Cardinal Peter Erdo of Hungary, head of Europe’s bishops, who said it marks “a further step towards the unity and the common testimony of Christians”. “He wanted to go to Moscow and meet the Patriarch of Moscow”.

For years it accused the Catholic Church of aggressively “recruiting” on traditional Orthodox territory, and it is still concerned about Catholic influence in Ukraine.

Francis was to meet Patriarch Kirill for two hours during a brief stop in Havana’s Jose Marti airport en route to Mexico, where the pontiff will bring a message of solidarity with the victims of drug violence, human trafficking and discrimination to some of that country’s most violent and poverty-stricken regions. Vatican aides say the document will likely pledge to work together to protect persecuted Christians in Africa and the Middle East. He can discuss religious, ecumenical and political factors surrounding the meeting.