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(MOSPAT) - On 11 February 2016, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia began his Primatial visit to Latin America.
Cuba is the first country that he is visiting. His Holiness has come to Cuba at the invitation of Mr. Raúl Castro, President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba.
It is the first ever visit of a Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to Latin America. Prior to his elevation to the Patriarchal throne in 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill visited Cuba in 1998, 2004 and 2008 in his capacity as chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and made his outstanding contribution to the promotion of contacts with this and other countries of Latin America. His Holiness will also visit the Republic of Paraguay and the Federative Republic of Brasil.
At Havana’s José Martí International Airport, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was met by Mr. Raúl Castro Ruz, President of Cuba’s Council of State and Council of Ministers.
Among those who met the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia at Havana’s airport were also Mr. Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly of People’s Power of the Republic of Cuba; Mr. Mikhail Kamynin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Cuba; Mr. Alexander Alexandrov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Cuba; and other officials.
Addressing the mass media representatives, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said:
“It is with warm feelings that I have come for the fourth time to the land of Cuba. I have arrived here on a friendly visit at the invitation of the head of the Republic of Cuba, Mr. Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers. The people of Cuba and the people of Russia have been linked by the bonds of cooperation and sincere friendship for many years. Addressing the Cuban people, I would like to say that good feelings the Russian people have for Cuba are getting stronger today.
“I would like to convey to you cordial greetings from the citizens of Russia, as well as from all the people of the historical Rus’. I wish prosperity to the people of Cuba and happiness to each Cuban. May God’s mercy be with you.”
A brief meeting at the José Martí International Airport between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Mr. Raúl Castro followed.
An important item on the program of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill’s visit to Cuba is his meting with Pope Francis. It will take place at Havana’s José Martí International Airport on February 12. The meeting has been arranged in view of the crossing in their itineraries. Pope Francis will make a stop in Cuba on his way to Mexico. A joint declaration is expected to be signed at the conclusion of the meeting. As the Joint press release of the Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate reads, “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. They invite all Christians to pray fervently for God to bless this meeting, that it may bear good fruits.”
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I recently quoted Metropolitan Hilarion as saying - "The hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church have never denied such a possibility in general, but the objective conditions have so far not allowed for its realization. Such a meeting should be well-prepared. There is a need to reach agreements on the main issues in relations between the two churches, which will then be reflected in the joint statement of the patriarch and the pope." What was "too early to speak of" just two weeks ago, according to the Interfax-Religion headline, is about to take place within a week, when Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill plan to meet in Cuba.
ReplyDeleteThe most frequently mentioned obstacle to such a meeting has been what the Moscow Patriarchate has perceived as historic Roman Catholic encroachment on its "canonical territory" which in their thinking includes Ukraine, the Baltic states and Belarus as well as Catholic proselytism in Russia. This has taken place over the centuries in the form of the Roman church coming in on the coat-tails of western military conquests, establishing western-rite Catholic churches as well as eastern-rite "Uniate" churches that recognize the Roman pope as their head although they continue to use the Eastern Orthodox liturgy and permit married priests to serve. So there must have taken place some behind-the-scenes negotiating to resolve this issue before this upcoming meeting could take place.
Pope Francis met PutinIn a follow-up release to our first news article - POPE, RUSSIAN PATRIARCH TO HOLD FIRST-EVER MEETING IN CUBA ON FEB. 12, the Crux website has published another piece - Why a meeting between the pope and Russian patriarch is finally happening. Although Christians in both churches may welcome this meeting as a huge step toward spiritual unity, resolving the Great Schism of 1054 A.D. that divided Eastern and Western Christianity, there have always been political aspects involved. The Great Schism took place as the eastern half of the Roman Empire went into decline under the growing threat of Islam, while the western half was arising from the attacks of the Huns which it had absorbed and "Christianized." Now we are witnessing the rise of the East and the decline of the West.
This follow-up piece enumerated several reasons making possible this historic meeting: 1) the election as Patriarch in 2009 of Kirill, who had wide experience in ecumenical relations; 2) great progress "in relations between Catholicism and other Orthodox churches, especially the Patriarchate of Constantinople, but also Orthodox bodies in other nations, such as Armenia, Albania, Romania, and elsewhere"; 3) the Pan-Orthodox Council coming up in June, the first Great Council in over 1,000 years, where the Russian Church hopes to experience a great boost by this meeting with the pope; 4) Pope Francis who is from Latin America, not Europe where most of the disagreements with Orthodoxy has arisen, in the Fall of 2013 "joined forces with Vladimir Putin in successfully heading off a proposed Western military offensive in Syria to bring down the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad"; and 5) Putin's meeting with the Roman pope in the Vatican last June, as well as the pope's behind-the-scenes negotiations to encourage the U.S. to re-establish ties with Cuba in June, 2015.
Do a Google search on the words Pope Francis liberation theology, and you'll many articles documenting the new pope's warm feelings toward this Marxist-oriented theology, such as Catholic church warms to liberation theology as founder heads to Vatican. It bears looking into!
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ReplyDeleteAbove analysis is totally divorced from reality.
ReplyDeleteIf no concessions are made by the Vatican, this will not only be costly to the papacy, but will also discredit its paid for allies in the Orthodox world.
Unia must be abolished! Filioque gone! END PAPAL SPONSORSHIP OF BANDEROFASCISM AND ETHNIC CLEANSING! Papal endorsement of RUSSKY MIR. Orthodox Paschalion. That's for a start.
That has been the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox church ever since St. Vladimir founded it in Kiev 988 AD.
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ReplyDeleteWe are missing the point here my friends. This is not an ecumenical meeting. No one man can *unilaterally* engage in ecumenical dialogue in behalf of all Orthodoxy. Kirill knows this. This is primarily a demonstration, for all the world to see, that the EP is not the only "big man on campus". That the leader of Cuba and other South American countries invited *him* and NOT the Ecumenical Patriarch. This trip publicly undercuts +Bart's plan to be the "go to" guy in world Orthodoxy. Yes, it is a pastoral visit but it is also immensely strategic. +Bart is most assuredly pouting!
ReplyDeleteWe are missing the point here my friends. This is not an ecumenical meeting. No one man can *unilaterally* engage in ecumenical dialogue in behalf of all Orthodoxy. Kirill knows this. This is primarily a demonstration, for all the world to see, that the EP is not the only "big man on campus". That the leader of Cuba and other South American countries invited *him* and NOT the Ecumenical Patriarch. This trip publicly undercuts +Bart's plan to be the "go to" guy in world Orthodoxy. Yes, it is a pastoral visit but it is also immensely strategic. +Bart is most assuredly pouting!
ReplyDeleteMany years to Their Holinesses. May this meeting bear fruit of fraternal love and understanding.
ReplyDelete"sign of hope" ? Orthodoxy's hope is that Kirill won't apostasize.
ReplyDeleteThe Patriarch of Moscow is the primary head of the Orthodox Church. He is the de facto pontiff of the Orthodox Church. Without papal concessions forthcoming, the only thing sparked here is animus. Patriarch Kirill and President Putin both understand very well that it is suicide to alienate their core of support.
ReplyDeleteUntil the papacy responsibly begins to mend relations with the Orthodox Catholic Church, making concrete reforms to restore Orthodoxy with the speed of those which followed Vatican II, these types of meetings will only provoke the faithful into demanding Orthodox fidelity. The vile Renovationist, Hilarion Alfeev, is the person who is primarily responsible for this worthless photo op, and he will be the first to answer for it if the papacy does not begin recanting its heresy.
Nothing will be easier unless the papacy begins to show works of repentance.
Although for Putin this a coup. This is the beginning of the Vatican's endorsement of the Kremlin's position in the war of civiizations and a quiet endorsement of RUSSKY MIR. Uniates and banderofascists have a lot to worry about: in that Russian Orthodox can only smile.
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