Patriarch Kirill was the first of the two leaders to arrive in Cuba.
The meeting is about 1,000 years in the making, as the two faiths split in the 11th century.
Popular convention dates the split of the Catholic and Orthodox churches
to the so-called Great Schism in 1054, when the western pope
excommunicated the head of the eastern church in Constantinople -- now
Istanbul -- over differences in worship practices. The split solidified
into centuries of deep hostility, with the two sides differing over a
number of doctrinal issues, most importantly the pope’s status as
Christianity's supreme authority on earth.
Hatreds have cooled in the past century, and both sides now tend to avoid publicly calling each other heretics.
"There were both surface issues and deeper issues," Monsignor Paul
McPartlan, a theology professor at Washington, D.C.'s Catholic
University, told ABC News. He noted that the types of bread used for the
Eucharist and the question of celibacy for priests were among the
surface issues while the deeper issues related to the power structure
and geographical spread of the church.
Today's meeting will not actually be the first between an Orthodox
Church leader and a pope: In 1964, Pope Paul VI met with the Ecumenical
Patriarch of Constantinople, formally recognized as Orthodoxy’s
spiritual leader, but whose authority is contested by the Russian
church.
"That really was the breakthrough for Catholic-Orthodox relations," McPartlan said.
On board the plane from the Vatican, Pope Francis spoke briefly to the
group of reporters traveling with him and said this trip is one that he
and his "brother" Kirill are eagerly anticipating.
Location, Location, Location
The choice of Cuba as the meeting spot also falls under the question of
territory, as it is seen as somewhat neutral land because Cuba has long
had ties to the Russians but it also has a large Catholic population and
it hosted Pope Francis in September.
Pope Francis will be in Cuba for only about three hours before heading to Mexico.
"The meeting has a political, a humanitarian significance," said Yevgeny
Nikiforov, a prominent Russian historian of the Church who helps run an
Orthodox radio station. "But it has no divine significance."
Different Approaches to Religious Leadership
They are two very different figures: Pope Francis is known for being
humble and regularly is driven in a Fiat, while Patriarch Kirill was
once spotted wearing a $30,000 watch and is driven by chauffeur in a
black Mercedes.
Under Kirill, the Russian Orthodox Church has grown close to the
Kremlin, to the point where it often acts like a branch of the
government. He is extremely close to Putin and often blesses or paves
the way for some of Putin's most controversial moves like the anti-gay
law and clandestine military action in Crimea.
How Will This Change Relations?
John Julius Norwich, a best-selling historian of the Byzantine Empire,
as well as of the papacy, said he believed the meeting was likely part
of a broader effort by Francis to try and strengthen a Catholic church
under assault by changing lifestyles in South America and mass violence
in the Middle East.
"It is a step towards reconciliation, there is no question about it,”
Norwich said. "But I think it's going to be very much on the surface."
"It's angels dancing on the head of a pin," he added. "But they've been
involved in it for 1,700 years. It's going to take an awful long time to
get over that. I can see it maybe getting to where they are much, much
nicer to each other than they have ever been, but deep, deep down still
hating each other's guts."
Monsignor McPartlan was slightly more optimistic.
"I think it's a big step forward in ecumenical relations and it's a sign
of hope for the world at large," he told ABC News today. "Not all of
the issues are yet resolved, however, this meeting shows the firm desire
for reconciliation and sends a powerful message to the world at large
about the need for peace and reconciliation."
ABC News
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