A Pope, a Patriarch and Great Expectations in Cuba (The National Interest)

(As published with The National Interest.)

Call off the fanfare.

Next week’s meeting in Cuba between Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, announced Friday, has already been called a “historic step” toward “healing” the thousand-year “rift” between the Catholic and Orthodox communions. While it’s true that this will be the first meeting between any pope and the head of the Russian church, predictions that the encounter will help unite Christianity’s two oldest and largest bodies are premature. (Read more…)

Image: Republic of Korea