Pope Francis to meet Russian Patriarch Kirill in Cuba: an ecumenical first

Pope Francis (cover) and Patriarch Kirill (Kremlin.ru)

The Vatican announced that Pope Francis is now scheduled to meet Russian Patriarch Kirill in Cuba:

February 5, 2016

Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, will meet with Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, next week at the first meeting between the leaders of the two churches in history.

The Vatican made the announcement Friday. It said Francis will meet with Kirill in Cuba on February 12. The meeting is the first in history between a pope and Russian Orthodox Patriarch, which is the most influential of the Orthodox churches.

Roman Catholic popes have previously met with Istanbul-based patriarchs of the worldwide Eastern Orthodox church. The Russian Orthodox Church has 165 million of the world’s 250 million Orthodox Christians.

The two men are set to hold about two hours of talks at the Havana airport, at a summit arranged by Cuban President Raul Castro. http://www.voanews.com/content/pope-to-meet-russian-orthodox-church-patriarch-in-cuba/3178098.html

February 5, 2016

“The Holy See and the Patriarchate of Moscow are pleased to announce that, by the grace of God, His Holiness Pope Francis and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will meet on February 12 next,” the Holy See statement said..

“Their meeting will take place in Cuba, where the Pope will make a stop on his way to Mexico, and where the Patriarch will be on an official visit. It will include a personal conversation at Havana’s José Martí International Airport, and will conclude with the signing of a joint declaration.

“This meeting of the Primates of the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, after a long preparation, will be the first in history and will mark an important stage in relations between the two Churches. The Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate hope that it will also be a sign of hope for all people of good will.” http://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/pope-francis-to-meet-with-russian-patriarch-kirill-in-cuba/38059.htm

February 5, 2016

Pope Francis and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet in Cuba next week in a historic step to heal the 1,000-year-old schism that divided Christianity between East and West, both churches announced Friday. …

The two churches split during the Great Schism of 1054 and have remained estranged over a host of issues, including the primacy of the pope and Russian Orthodox accusations that the Catholic Church is poaching converts in former Soviet lands.

Those tensions have prevented previous popes from ever meeting with the Russian patriarch, even though the Vatican has long insisted that it was merely ministering to tiny Catholic communities in largely Orthodox lands.

‘You call me and I’ll go’

The persecution of Christians — Catholic and Orthodox — in the Middle East and Africa, however, has had the effect of bringing the two churches closer together. Both the Vatican and the Orthodox Church have been outspoken in denouncing attacks on Christians and the destruction of Christian monuments, particularly in Syria.

In November 2014, Francis had said he had told Kirill: “I’ll go wherever you want. You call me and I’ll go.” Kirill will be in Cuba on an official visit, his first to Latin America as patriarch.

The meeting, which was announced jointly at the Vatican and in Moscow, marks a major development in the Vatican’s long effort to bridge the divisions in Christianity. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pope-francis-russian-orthodox-meet-1.3435082

The term “ponifex maximus” means great bridge builder. It was a title that the pagan Roman emperors held. The pagan emperors claimed to be the bridge between the gods and humans. Many want to see bridges between religions claiming to be Christian.

The title Pontifex Maximus had been held by many Roman Emperors, including Constantine of the 4th century. Here is a report from The Catholic Encyclopedia about the early reign of Constantine:

Could not Sol Deus Invictus, to whom even Constantine dedicated his coins for a long time, or Sol Mithras Deus Invictus, venerated by Diocletian and Galerius, become the supreme god of the empire? Constantine may have pondered over this. Nor had he absolutely rejected the thought even after a miraculous event had strongly influenced him in favour of the God of the Christians…As pontifex maximus he watched over the heathen worship and protected its rights (Herbermann, Charles, and Georg Grupp. Constantine the Great. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 1 Sept. 2008 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04295c.htm>).

A few decades after Constantine died, the Roman Emperor Gratian refused the title. Here is one report:

Pontifex Maximus…Gratian refused the pontifical robe. He was the last Roman emperor to hold that title, for the college of Pontiffs was abolished under Emperor Theodosius in 395 C.E. (White C. The Emergence of Christianity. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007 p. 89).

However, Catholic sources confirm that Bishop Siricius quickly picked up the title:

SIRICIUS, ST. (384-399)…was the first to assume the title of pope from the Greek papa meaning father (Lopes A. The Popes: The lives of the pontiffs through 2000 years of history. Futura Edizoni, Roma, 1997, p. 13).

The title pope (papa)…It was apparently in the fourth century that it began to become a distinctive title of the Roman Pontiff. Pope Siricius (d. 398) seems so to use it (Ep. vi in P. L., XIII, 1164) (Joyce G. H. Transcribed by Gerard Haffner. The Pope. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII. Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Knight. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

When one travels throughout Rome, one can often see the initials P.M. on various monuments next to a pope’s name, signalling the claim that that pope is the pontifex maximus. A title that is not in the Bible, nor one that early Christians ever applied to their leaders.

Now as far as the current pontiff, Francis has been able to get along with the Russian Patriarch for several reasons, including not coming out in favor of the Kiev government as much as those in Europe would have liked.

In February of 2015, I posed the following:

Pope Francis has refrained from being highly critical of Russia in all of this for several reasons, including his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his desire to attain unity with the Russian Orthodox church.

The Russian Orthodox church has the most members of any branch of the Eastern Orthodox faith, and if Pope Francis wants to get ecumenical unity with the Eastern Orthodox, which of course he does, he likely has concluded that he needs to be careful to not directly offend them if he perceives that as possible.

Thus, the Vatican’s approach to Ukraine, in my view, is mainly one of alignment with the ecumenical and interfaith agenda that Pope Francis has. As I have written before, I believe that the Russian Orthodox will, for a time, provide at least tacit support for the changed ‘Catholic’ faith of the Church of Rome and the final Beast power that will arise in Europe. However, since the Bible shows that a Russian-led confederation will turn against the end time ‘daughter of Babylon’ that Europe will become (Jeremiah 50:41-43; 51:27-33), it would seem that the Russian Orthodox church will also distance itself from whatever version of religion that final Beast power will cling to (the Babylonian leaders will turn against the Church of Seven Hills according to the Bible–Revelation 17:9,16-18). (Thiel B. Russian Patriarch Kirill praises Vatican’s approach to Ukrainian crisis. February 4, 2015)

Pope Francis is working on building ‘bridges’ between many religions and is interested in the Russian Orthodox.

As far as Cuba goes, Pope Francis has been working in that officially atheistic land as well. Raul Castro, the current President of Cuba, has expressed interest in possibly becoming Roman Catholic again (see Cuba’s president says he may convert back to Catholicism).

The Bible warns against the type of Babylonian unity (Revelation 17,18) that the Vatican has in mind. And even if a rift with the Russian Orthodox is temporarily papered over, the time will come when the Russians will turn against the Beast powers of Europe (Revelation 13)–the daughter of Babylon (Jeremiah 50:41-43). Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?

That being said, though there will likely be ups and downs in the relationship, continue to look for cooperation between the Russian Orthodox and the Vatican for the next several years at least.

Pope Francis is also trying to cozy up with the Protestants as our latest sermonette video, Pope Francis’ Celebration of Reformation’s 500th Anniversary, shows.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions. [Português: Qual é fiel: A igreja católica romana ou a igreja do deus?]
Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video of related interest could be Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against as well as require improper compromise.
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future?
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against?
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions. [Português: Qual é fiel: A igreja católica romana ou a igreja do deus?]
Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video sermon of related interest is: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? and a video sermon is also available: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? See also World Council of Churches Peace Plan.Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil, and the Caribbean in Prophecy [Español: México, América central, Suramérica, Brasil y el Caribe en la profecía] [Português: México, América Central, Ámérica do Sul, e Brasil na profecia] What will happen to those of Latin America? Will they have prosperity? Will they cooperate with Europe? Will they suffer in the future? What role might the various Caribbean nations/territories play?
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
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