What Will Happen When the Pope Meets the Patriarch?

The latest diplomatic coup for Pope Francis I—whose papacy has been marked by an ever-more expansive foreign policy—is the announcement of an interesting development in relations between the Roman Catholic and the Russian Orthodox churches, relations that have been more-or-less non-existent for more than 1000 years.
What Will Happen When the Pope Meets the Patriarch?
Pope Francis delivers his homily during the Epiphany Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Vatican, on Jan. 6, 2016. Franco Origlia/Getty Images
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Russian Patriarch Kirill celebrates a Christmas service in Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow on Jan. 7, 2015. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7 in the Middle East, Russia, and other Orthodox churches that use the old Julian calendar instead of the 17th-century Gregorian calendar adopted by Catholics, Protestants, Greek Orthodox, and commonly used in secular life around the world. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)
Russian Patriarch Kirill celebrates a Christmas service in Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow on Jan. 7, 2015. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7 in the Middle East, Russia, and other Orthodox churches that use the old Julian calendar instead of the 17th-century Gregorian calendar adopted by Catholics, Protestants, Greek Orthodox, and commonly used in secular life around the world. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images
John Pollard
John Pollard
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