Pope Francis will meet
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Cuba on February 12, the
Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate said Friday in a joint
announcement.
The "historic meeting" will take place at Havana's Jose'
Marti' International Airport, where the two religious leaders
will sign a joint statement.
Kyrill wanted to meet Francis outside Europe because
"Europe is linked to the hard story of the divisions and
conflicts between Christians," said Metropolitan Hilarion
Alfeyev, head of the external relations department of the
Russian Orthodox Church.
The question of the so-called Uniate churches, long a bone
of contention between the two sides, could now be resolved,
religious experts said.
"Another wall is coming down," they said.
The 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".
Budapest Archbishop Erdo said in a letter to Francis and
Kyrill that "this historic meeting, which happily sets the seal
on decades of dialogue between the Holy See and the Patriarchate
of the Russian Orthodox Church, also comforts the Council of
European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) in its choice of investing
in this dialogue".
The meeting has been in the works a long time, said Vatican
spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi.
"This meeting...is the first of its kind in history and
will mark an important milestone in relations between the two
Churches," the joint statement said.
"The Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate hope it will also
be a sign of hope for all men of good will".
Kyrill, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church since
2009, will be on an official visit to Cuba while Francis will be
stopping there on his way to Mexico.
The meeting has been in the works for years and will be
aimed at a further thaw in relations that was marked, perhaps
most notably, by a visit to the Vatican by Russian President
Vladimir Putin in 2013.
After the meeting Putin and Francis exchanged gifts, with
Putin receiving a mosaic of the Vatican gardens and Francis
receiving an icon of the Madonna of Vladimir, one of the most
venerated images of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Putin kissed the icon of Mary before making the Orthodox
sign of the cross and kissing the pope.
Once-frosty relations between the Catholic and Russian
Orthodox Churches, which have seesawed in recent years, were
high on the agenda.
The Holy See and Russia were able to formally upgrade their
relations from 'official' to 'diplomatic' in December 2009
following a gradual thawing of relations between the Catholic
and Russian Orthodox Churches.
The Russian Church had accused the Catholics of trying to
lure people over to their brand of Christianity on their back
yard, prompting unfriendly relations between the Holy See and
the Russian state too.
Putin, was one of the few heads of state not to attend late
pope John Paul II's funeral in 2005.
But the two Churches have been increasingly seeking to
launch joint initiatives on areas of concern to them since the
papacy of Benedict VXI, such as growing secularism in Europe.
On his visit Putin expressed greetings from Patriarch
Kirill.
Earlier in 2013 Kyrill met with Cardinal Angelo Scola in
Moscow, a visit that coincided with a meeting at the Vatican
between Francis and the Metropolitan Hilarion.
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