Pope and Patriarch Meet for the First Time in History

On Friday, February 12, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill greeted one another at a historic meeting in Cuba. The two religious leaders met during their layovers at the José Martí International Airport in Havana. The meeting marked the first time the Roman Pope has met the Orthodox Patriarch since the two churches split in the Great Schism of 1054. As the Moscow Times is keen to point out, the meeting occurred with the blessing of the Kremlin, which sees itself as a defender of  Christendom against the West’s “decadent heathenism.”

Unsurprisingly, this meeting was geopolitically charged. The leaders discussed two contentious issues: Syria and Ukraine.

The New York Times reports that Syria was the primary focus, leading the two to issue a statement urging for the defense of Christians in the region and the prevention of further war. The two men agreed that they must work to defend persecuted Christians in the Middle East and according to the Moscow Times, “call on the world community to unite against violence and terrorism.”

Ukraine was heavily discussed as well, but the two leaders opted to focus on Catholic influence in Western Ukraine, rather than the Crimean conflict. According to Ukraine Today, Russia believes the Catholic Church is actively proselytizing in Ukraine, which the Russian Orthodox Church views as part of its sphere of influence through the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church - an Eastern Catholic church that practices Orthodoxy in all but name.

The meeting represents a coming together between the East and West, yet the churches remain at odds due to the Russian Orthodox Church’s direct affiliation with the Kremlin and the Papacy’s influence in the West.