Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY2:17 p.m. EST February 12, 2016
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.
On Arrival, he was warmly greeted on the tarmac by Cuban president Raul Castro, who clasped the pope’s outstretched hands in both of his.
The split between the two churches nearly 1,000 years 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.
No pope has ever visited Russia. En route to the historic visit Friday, journalists asked Pope Francis if a visit to the nation is on his papal bucket list.
“China and Russia, I have them here,” Francis said, pointing to his heart. “Pray.”
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.
