Pope and Russian Orthodox Church leader meet for the first time in history

Pope Francis meets with Russian Orthodox leader in historic visit.
(Image credit: ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox church, Patriarch Kirill, sat down for a historic meeting early Friday afternoon at José Martí International Airport in Havana. The meeting between the leaders of the Eastern Orthodox and Western factions of Christianity marks the first such meeting in history and is a symbolic step in repairing relations between the two factions that split nearly 1,000 years ago.

The leaders are expected to have a conversation and then sign a joint declaration, which will likely focus on their shared concerns over Christian refugees in Syria and Iraq.

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