Pope Francis meets Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Cuba

A kiss of peace between Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis when they met at Cuba's Havana airport VIP lounge on February 12, 2016
Photo courtesy: telegraph.co.uk/

Pope Francis meets privately with Patriarch Kirill in Cuba
Photo courtesy: indianexpress.com

Pope Francis meets with Patriarch Kirill

 Cartoon courtesy: Osmani Simanca - Brazil (through www.caglecartoons.com)

 Exactly after 962 years, leaders of both the separated Churches -- Roman Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church -- met and embraced each other in Cuba's Havana airport lounge on February 12. 

Pope Francis, leader of the 1-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, and Patriarch Kirill, leader of the world's 165 million Orthodox Christians, met and exchanged the kiss of peace in their first historic encounter. 

"We are brothers," Pope Francis said as he embraced Patriarch Kirill. Then the patriarch responded,"Now things are easier," as he and the pope exchanged the kiss of peace. Finally the pope said,"This is the will of God."

For more details on their visit and background information on relations between these two Churches, please read the following:

• Pope and Russian Orthodox Leader Meet in Historic Step (The New York Times)
  
• Francis meets the Russian patriarch, declaring: 'We are brothers' (National Catholic Reporter)
• Watch historic meeting between Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill (National Catholic Reporter)
• A brotherly embrace brings pope and Russian patriarch together (Catholic News Service)
• After 1,000-year split, pope and Russian patriarch embrace in Cuba (Reuters)
• Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill (Vatican Radio)
• Pope and Patriarch call for an end to terrorism and persecution of Christians (Vatican Radio)
• Meeting between Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis concluded (The Russian Orthodox Church Department for External Church Relations, Russia)
• Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill Bring Christianity Closer Together (Havana Times) 
• The Pope Just Had a Meeting 1,000 Years in the Making. Here's Why. (Huffingtonpost.com)  
• Five Insights About Today's Pope Francis - Patriarch Kirill Meeting (National Catholic Register)
• Why Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill Made Christian History in Cuba (Christianity Today)
• Pope and Patriarch Meeting in Cuba a Milestone (America magazine) 
• "Heretic and traitor": Fundamentalists term Orthodox Patriarch Kirill who met with Pope Francis in Cuba (asianews.it)
• The Eastern Schism (Catholic Encyclopedia)
• The split of 1054 between the Orthodox and Catholics (CatholicBridge.com) 
• Eastern and Western Christianity: from the 6th century (historyworld.net)
• Timeline of the East-West Schism of the Catholic and Orthodox Church (CatholicBlridge.com)
• Timeline of Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic relations (Orthodox Wiki)

(Updated on March 5, 2016)