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Pope Meeting Patriarch Of Russian Orthodox Church – First Meeting Since Split

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Pope Francis will be meeting with his counterpart, Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church in Cuba on Feb. 12 and the meeting is the first of its kind since the Great Schism in 1054.

Havana’s airport is where the two leading clergymen will make history by simply shaking hands and signing a joint declaration, reports CNN. The declaration is expected to advocate on behalf of persecuted Christians in the Middle East and Africa regardless of sect.

While this is the first ever official meeting between a Pope and a Russian Patriarch, Pope John Paul I met informally with a high level Russian Orthodox Bishop in 1978 states Spanish daily El Pais. During the meeting between Pope John Paul I and Russian Orthodox Archbishop Nikodem, the Archbishop suddenly died.

Archbishop Nikodim collapsed in the Pope’s private library in Rome. The Archbishop had been visiting because of Pope John Paul I’s installation as pope. As Archbishop Nikodim was dying, Pope John Paul I prayed over him and administered the last rites. Only 23 days later, Pope John Paul I would die in what was a papacy of only 23 days.

While the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill is undoubtedly historic, according to Ivan Plis of The National Interest, not much will actually change in the relationship between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. There are numerous theological and policy differences including regarding the fate of various Ukrainian Christians in the caught in the cross-hairs of the Russian conflict with Ukraine.

Patriarch Kirill’s Orthodox Church is particularly close to the Russian government of Vladimir Putin. After the Pope’s meeting with his Russina counterpart, the pontiff will go on to Mexico where his trip will deal with issues of immigration and cartel violence.

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