After nearly 1,000 years, leaders of Catholic, Russian Orthodox churches to meet
- 8 years ago
Despite famine, religious wars, worldwide conflict and the spread of civilization, the heads of the Roman Catholic and the Russian Orthodox churches haven't spoken since the Great Schism of 1054 shattered Christendom, so they have a lot of catching up to do at their historic meeting Friday in Cuba.
The pope, en route to a visit to Mexico, landed Friday afternoon at Havana's José Martí International Airport where he will meet Patriarch Kirill for a two-hour "personal conversation" and sign a joint declaration.
The split between the two churches nearly 1,000 years ago has festered over issues such as the primacy of the pope and accusations by the Russian Orthodox Church that the Catholic Church tries to poach converts in Russia.
Few people expect Friday's two-hour meeting — which took two years of secret planning to pull off — will wipe away centuries of distrust and suspicion in a few hours, but it will be a groundbreaking step toward Catholic-Orthodox relations.
The pope, en route to a visit to Mexico, landed Friday afternoon at Havana's José Martí International Airport where he will meet Patriarch Kirill for a two-hour "personal conversation" and sign a joint declaration.
The split between the two churches nearly 1,000 years ago has festered over issues such as the primacy of the pope and accusations by the Russian Orthodox Church that the Catholic Church tries to poach converts in Russia.
Few people expect Friday's two-hour meeting — which took two years of secret planning to pull off — will wipe away centuries of distrust and suspicion in a few hours, but it will be a groundbreaking step toward Catholic-Orthodox relations.