In Historic Move Pope to Meet With Leader of Russian Orthodox Church

By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO and JIM YARDLEY  FEB. 5, 2016

Pope Francis at the Vatican on Tuesday. For Francis, the meeting with the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church is the result of delicate and sustained diplomacy. CreditAndrew Medichini/Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will travel to Cuba on Feb. 12 for a historic meeting with the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, the first meeting between a pope and the Russian patriarch, the Vatican announced on Friday.

For Francis, the meeting is the result of delicate and sustained diplomacy, some of which began decades ago under Pope John Paul II, and it is another milestone in his efforts to reconcile the Roman Catholic Church with Eastern Orthodox churches. The Western and Eastern branches of Christianity split nearly 1,000 years ago.

The breakthrough also highlights Francis’s ties to Cuba, as President Raúl Castro “was involved in organizing the meeting,” the Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said at a news conference.

“The encounter has been under preparation for a long time — it wasn’t improvised,” Father Lombardi said.

He said discussions had been underway “for at least two years,” and the fact that both leaders planned to be in Latin America created the possibility of a “neutral place” for a meeting.

This is a very interesting News Article as Bible Students have been expecting this and watching this development for years.  Bible Prophecy has revealed to us that the Catholic and Orthodox Churches will be United once more, before Christ’s Return.  This development goes hand in hand with Britain’s Exit from the EU and Russia’s rise to the position of being a “guard’ unto the EU. 

See this article here to learn about this: Catholic and Orthodox Churches to UNITE

See also Alignment of the Nations in the Last Days Prior to Christ’s Return