Pope Francis, Russia patriarch meet in Cuba Feb. 12

an historic step to heal the 1,000-year schism that split Christianity, Pope Francis and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet in Cuba next week in an attempt to begin bridging the church's East-West divide.

The Feb. 12 meeting between Francis and Patriarch Kirill was announced Friday by both churches.
It will be the first-ever meeting between the leaders of the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, which is the largest in Orthodoxy.

Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, conducts an Orthodox Epiphany service at Christ The Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia. Pope Francis and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill 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.