Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox church leader Patriarch Kirill Meet in Cuba Friday FEbruary 12,2016

 

Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill together for the first ever papal meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, looking to heal a 1,000-year-old rift in Christianity

Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill (second from left) meet at the Jose Marti International airport in Havana, Friday, February 12 ,2016
It was the first-ever papal meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000-year schism within Christianity

 

Pope Francis and Kirill signed a joint declaration on the contemporary persecution of Christians in places such as Iraq and Syria.

 Pope Francis (L) addresses the audience after signing agreements with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Havana, February 12, 2016

'For nearly one thousand years, Catholics and Orthodox have been deprived of communion in the Eucharist,' they said in the joint declaration signed after talks in Cuba.

'We are pained by the loss of unity, the outcome of human weakness and of sin.' 

They said: 'Mindful of the permanence of many obstacles, it is our hope that our meeting may contribute to the re-establishment of this unity willed by God

'We call upon the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East.

'In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated,' they went on.

'We wish to express our compassion for the suffering experienced by the faithful of other religious traditions who have also become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist violence.' 

The pair embraced as they met each other for the first time at Havana's international airport. 

'We are brothers,' Pope Francis said.

'Now things are easier,' Kirill agreed. 'This is the will of God,' the pope said.

The meeting on neutral ground has been decades in the planning, with the final obstacles finally swept away by a combination of the Pope's determination that it should happen and the Russian church's feeling that events in the Middle East have made Christian unity much more urgent.

The rapprochement with the Orthodox wing of Christianity is in line with the pontiff's drive to make the Vatican a more active player in international diplomacy.

'I just wanted to embrace my Orthodox brothers,' he said in an interview this week. 

But he also framed the encounter in a broader context of engaging Russia, saying Moscow could be an important partner for peace in the world.

Francis has twice received President Vladimir Putin at the Vatican since he was elected pope in 2013

'We call upon the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East.

'In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated,' they went on.

'We wish to express our compassion for the suffering experienced by the faithful of other religious traditions who have also become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist violence.' 

The pair embraced as they met each other for the first time at Havana's international airport. 

'We are brothers,' Pope Francis said.

'Now things are easier,' Kirill agreed. 'This is the will of God,' the pope said.

The meeting on neutral ground has been decades in the planning, with the final obstacles finally swept away by a combination of the Pope's determination that it should happen and the Russian church's feeling that events in the Middle East have made Christian unity much more urgent.

The rapprochement with the Orthodox wing of Christianity is in line with the pontiff's drive to make the Vatican a more active player in international diplomacy.

'I just wanted to embrace my Orthodox brothers,' he said in an interview this week. 

But he also framed the encounter in a broader context of engaging Russia, saying Moscow could be an important partner for peace in the world.

Francis has twice received President Vladimir Putin at the Vatican since he was elected pope in 2013

'We call upon the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East.

'In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated,' they went on.

'We wish to express our compassion for the suffering experienced by the faithful of other religious traditions who have also become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist violence.' 

The pair embraced as they met each other for the first time at Havana's international airport. 

'We are brothers,' Pope Francis said.

'Now things are easier,' Kirill agreed. 'This is the will of God,' the pope said.

The meeting on neutral ground has been decades in the planning, with the final obstacles finally swept away by a combination of the Pope's determination that it should happen and the Russian church's feeling that events in the Middle East have made Christian unity much more urgent.

The rapprochement with the Orthodox wing of Christianity is in line with the pontiff's drive to make the Vatican a more active player in international diplomacy.

'I just wanted to embrace my Orthodox brothers,' he said in an interview this week. 

But he also framed the encounter in a broader context of engaging Russia, saying Moscow could be an important partner for peace in the world.

Francis has twice received President Vladimir Putin at the Vatican since he was elected pope in 2013


Pope Francis is welcomed by Cuban President Raul Castro at the International Airport Jose Marti in Havana, on February 12,2016