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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis takes off for the Cuban capital, Havana on Friday for his historic encounter with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill. The largely private conversation between the two leaders will take place at Havana airport and is expected to last for a couple of hours, after which Pope Francis will continue onto Mexico City at the start of his pastoral visit to that Latin American nation.

Dominican Fr Hyacinthe Destivelle, who is in charge of relations with the Slavic Orthodox Churches at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, will be in Havana for this unprecedented encounter. He told Philippa Hitchen that despite recent tensions between Moscow and Rome, the Russian Orthodox Church has a rich history of seeking reconciliation among the divided Christian Churches..

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Father Destivelle explains that the Russian Orthodox Church is fifth in the traditional order of authority among the 14 autocephalous Orthodox Churches. In first place, with a primacy of honour, is the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople which has a special relationship with the Holy See. 

The relationship with Moscow is important, he says, because almost two thirds of the Orthodox are members of the Moscow Patriarchate, which, he notes, is not only the Church in Russia but rather a communion of local Churches in different countries. According to the Moscow Patriarchate, there are fourteen countries inside its Canonical territory, mostly within countries of the former Soviet Union. 

Russia as a bridge between East and West

The significance of the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill can also be seen in light of the history of relations with the Russian Orthodox Church, Fr Destivelle continues. In the late 19th century, Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov developed the idea that the Russian Church could serve as a bridge between East and West. Following the First Vatican Council, he notes, the Russian Orthodox Church created “a fruitful dialogue” with the Old Catholic Church.

Ecumenical legacy 

Fr Destivelle cites other examples of how the Russian Orthodox Church has actively pioneered ecumenical relationships, noting it was the first Church to send observers to the Second Vatican Council. He speaks of the legacy of Metropolitan Nikodim, whom he describes as “the spiritual father” of Patriarch Kirill, noting the key role he played in influencing decisions between the two Churches. For example, from 1969 to 1986, Nikodim succeeded in allowing intercommunion between Orthodox and Catholics in special cases, such as those Catholics who had been sent to the Gulags and could not receive communion from a Catholic priest. Since the Patriarch considers himself “a son of Nikodim”, Fr Destivelle says, one can hope that he will follow “the ecumenical approach of his mentor”. 

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