A handout picture released by Vatican press office Osservatore Romano on February 13, 2016 shows Pope Francis (C) walking next to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto (R) and First Lady Angelica Rivera (L) upon his arrival at Benito Juarez worldwide airport in Mexico City on February 12, 2016.
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The Orthodox Church’s refusal to accept the primacy of the Roman pontiff has always been the primary barrier to a rapprochement.
Francis and Kirill embraced and kissed one another three times on the cheek as they met in a wood-paneled VIP room at the Havana airport.
Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill have called for restored Christian unity between the two churches at historic talks in Cuba.
Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church met Friday in an historic meeting after the two sides of Christendom split 1,000 year ago.
The joint declaration is expected to touch on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.
Rather, he said the horrors of drug violence required “prophetic courage” from the church and a pastoral plan that involves families, parishes, schools and communities.
“Certainly, the dialog will continue”, the bishop said noting that a possibility of future meetings had not been discussed.
“Francis, brother of the Mexican people!” people chanted outside the airport, while a mariachi band played as the plane landed. She is the patron saint of Mexico and “empress of the Americas”, and millions of pilgrims flock each year to pray before the cloak that bears her image.
Pope Francis launched a broadside against endemic corruption on his first visit to Mexico as pontiff on Saturday, calling on President Enrique Pena Nieto and his government to combat it.
“In order to win, just one coalition is needed – the one that would unite all people of goodwill, including both politicians and religious leaders”, he said. She held a pennant with the colors of the Mexican flag and images of Francis, a dove and the Virgin of Guadalupe.
“We call upon the global community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East”, they said.
While welcoming the return, Alexy said since it was only a copy of the original 16th century icon, the pope didn’t need to personally accompany it back to Moscow, thus dashing his hopes for a visit.
Local Mariana Dieguez was moved to tears and had difficulty speaking when the Pope passed her.
“I mean the number of women who lost their lives, have been abused, disappeared, it feels like a civil war”, said Hector Garcia.
Pope Francis was having the brief talks in Cuba before heading off on a five-day visit to Mexico.
Cross-border prayer: The highlight of the trip comes on the final day, when Francis travels to Ciudad Juarez and prays at Mexico’s northern border for all who have died trying to cross.
In Mexico, the pope will visit the crime-plagued Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, where his visit will shine an uncomfortable spotlight on the government’s failure to solve entrenched social ills that plague many parts of Mexico – inequality, rampant gangland killings, extortion, disappearances of women, crooked cops and failed city services.
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The raucous welcome Francis received from cheering Mexicans who lined his motorcade route seven-deep contrasted sharply with his pointed criticism of how church and state leaders here have often failed their people, especially the poorest and most marginalized.
