Pope, Russian Orthodox leader to meet in Cuba

MOSCOW - Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill I of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet in Cuba for the first time next Friday as part of an effort to heal a schism that has divided Christianity between East and West for nearly 1,000 years.

The meeting, the first ever between a sitting pope and Russian patriarch, will take place at Jose Martí International Airport, where the two will sign a joint declaration. Pope Francis will fly to Cuba before traveling on to Mexico for a six-day tour of the country.

"This meeting of the Primates of the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, after a long preparation, will be the first in history and will mark an important stage in relations between the two Churches," said a joint press release. "The Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate hope that it will also be a sign of hope for all people of good will. They invite all Christians to pray fervently for God to bless this meeting, that it may bear good fruits," it added.

Patriarch Kirill is scheduled to arrive Thursday in Havana for an 11-day tour of South America, which will also include stops in Paraguay, Chile, and Brazil.

The meeting would culminate decades of overtures seeking to bridge suspicions and rifts that span historical and contemporary grievances, which have so far blocked any papal visit to Russia.

Among the obstacles that have complicated deeper dialogue are long-held claims by Moscow that the Roman Catholics have been seeking to expand Rome-affiliated churches in traditional Christian Orthodox areas.

Eastern Rite churches - which retain Orthodox traditions but are loyal to the Vatican - have been one of the thorniest issues blocking attempts to heal the divisions between the world's Roman Catholics and more than 200 million Orthodox. Orthodox Christians are spread among various churches and patriarches. But the Russian church is the largest and carries major influence among the Orthodox heirarchy.

Although Catholics and Orthodox remain estranged on other issues - including married clergy and the centralized power of the Vatican - there have been significant moves over the generations toward closer interactions and understanding.

The Cuba encounter also appears to show evolving views by the Kremlin toward the Vatican under Francis, the first pope from Latin America, who has been critical of Western-style capitalism and other social ills.

The Vatican has been careful with its comments against Russia's actions in Ukraine, including its annexation of Ukraine in 2014, but has indirectly criticized Moscow and others over failures to end Syria's civil war. Russia is a key backer of Syria's government and last year began airstrikes to aid Syrian forces.