Pope Francis, Russian patriarch kiss at historic meeting

Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill kissed each other and sat down Friday for the first meeting between heads of the Eastern and Western churches in nearly a thousand years.

The 79-year-old Francis, in white robes and a skullcap, and Kirill, 69, in black robes and a white headdress, exchanged kisses and embraced before sitting down smiling for the historic meeting at Havana airport.

“At last we meet. We are brothers,” said the pope as they met. “Clearly this meeting is God’s will.”

The Argentine pontiff is looking to heal a nearly 1,000-year-old rift in Christianity that dates back to a 1054 schism which helped shape modern Europe and the Middle East.



Francis stepped off a plane in the sunshine and shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro on the tarmac at Jose Marti Airport before heading into the private meeting with Kirill.

The white-bearded Orthodox leader was also greeted by the 84-year-old Castro after arriving on Thursday.