Patriarch Kirill starts tour of Latin America, to meet with Pope Francis

MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will for the first time visit Orthodox Christian communities in Latin American countries - Paraguay and Brazil. The visit will start today and will last until February 22. The patriarch will also visit Cuba, this time as head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and meet with Pope Francis. Meeting with Pope Francis The meeting of the heads of the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches is expected to be held for the first time in history. It is set for February 12, and the hall of Jose Marti International Airport near Havana, Cuba was chosen as the venue. The meeting has been prepared for 20 years and was not held earlier due to principled differences connected with union (merger of the Orthodox and Catholic faiths). The activity of Uniates in Ukraine considerably complicates relations between the churches. "Nevertheless, the situation in the Middle East, in North and Central Africa and some other regions, where extremists are involved in real genocide of Christian population, requires urgent measures and closer interaction between Christian churches," chairman of the Department of External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion said. "In the current tragic situation, it’s necessary to move aside internal disagreements and unite efforts to save Christianity in regions where it is persecuted in a cruel way," Metropolitan Hilarion said. Cuba: Meeting with Castro Patriarch Kirill will arrive in Cuba at an invitation from President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba Raul Castro. They have known each other from the time when the patriarch was metropolitan and led the External Church Relations Department. The church named in honor of Our Lady of Kazan icon in Havana was built under his supervision, and he sanctified it. On Sunday, February 14, Patriarch Kirill will lead the Divine Liturgy in the Our Lady of Kazan Russian Orthodox church in Havana. Paraguay Patriarch Kirill will visit Paraguay at an invitation from Paraguayan President Horacio Manuel Cartes on February 14-15. "The visit will become a tribute to the historical memory of representatives of Russian emigration, who in 1920-1930 made a considerable contribution to the development of Paraguay," Metropolitan Hilarion said. Rio de Janeiro The head of the Russian Orthodox Church will continue his route in Brazil. The visit will start from a meeting with President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia. The patriarch will also hold a prayer service in front of the globally known statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Read more