In Historic Move, Pope to Meet With Leader of Russian Orthodox Church - The New York Times - 0 views
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In Historic Move, Pope to Meet With Leader of Russian Orthodox Church
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the first meeting between a pope and the Russian patriarch since the eastern and western branches of Christianity split nearly 1,000 years ago
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it is another important milestone in his efforts to reconcile the Roman Catholic Church with Eastern Orthodox churches.
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discussions had been underway “for at least two years,” and the fact that both leaders planned to be in Latin America created the possibility of a “neutral place” for a meeting.
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The two agreed to establish formal diplomatic relations only at the end of 2009, and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia met Francis in June 2015, in what was seen as a break of Russia’s isolation from the West over the crisis in Ukraine.
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Francis has worked to reconcile divisions in Christianity that trace to the Great Schism of 1054, which formally divided the Eastern and Western churches.
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Alberto Melloni, a Vatican historian, also noted that the Cuba meeting has meaningful geopolitical implications, because it comes at a time when the United States and Europe diplomats are working to isolate Russia.