Fr Lombardi (director of the Vatican press office) has just announced that Pope Francis will meet Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, in Cuba on February 12th. It had been anticipated but it is very good to see it confirmed. This will be the first ever meeting of the heads of the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches. I'm sure there will be many news items about this so it seemed appropriate to start a new thread on the topic. Let's hope it could lead to the Pope visiting Russia.
Here is the official announcement: Vatican Radio - English Section 31 mins · The Holy See and the Patriarchate of Moscow are pleased to announce that, by the grace of God, His Holiness Pope Francis and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will meet on February 12 next. Their meeting will take place in Cuba, where the Pope will make a stop on his way to Mexico, and where the Patriarch will be on an official visit. It will include a personal conversation at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, and will conclude with the signing o...f a joint declaration. This meeting of the Primates of the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, after a long preparation, will be the first in history and will mark an important stage in relations between the two Churches. The Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate hope that it will also be a sign of hope for all people of good will. They invite all Christians to pray fervently for God to bless this meeting, that it may bear good fruits.
Yes and I'm sure there will be some media mogals rubbing their hands together now, as they eagerly anticipate another feeding frenzy just waiting to put some negative spin on what the Holy Father says. So they can get their jollys as they sit back and enjoy the fruit of their nasty inuendos. However, Gods watching! God Bless Our Holy Father Pope Francis and may the Holy Spirit continue to lead and inspire him. Amen
I'm happy to read this and for the time will leave speculation on timing to the side only to say that this is being guided by the Holy Spirit. The article below is just over a year ago (Dec 2014) and it seemed very unlikely that a meeting would take place in the near future, but here we are. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...not-meet-russian-orthodox-patriarch/19749903/ I don't think it's coincidental that we are in the Year Of Mercy and this meeting will take place right at the start of Lent. And of course we are now in "sight" of the 100th year anniversary of Fatima. Lots to ponder but even more important time to pray. I pray that in this meeting, we remember the prayer of Our Lord, that we all be One in Him. (John 17:30-23) “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me."
Here is how the Russian RT website is presenting the news: Unprecedented: Pope Francis, Russian Patriarch Kirill to meet in Cuba to heal 1,000yr rift Published time: 5 Feb, 2016 11:19Edited time: 5 Feb, 2016 12:11 Get short URL The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is to meet his Roman Catholic counterpart, Pope Francis, during a historic visit to Latin America. The groundbreaking meeting is to happen in mid-February in Cuba. The meeting between heads the two major Christian churches would be an unprecedented move to mend a millennium-long rift between the Western and Eastern branches of the religion, which started with the Great Schism of 1054. Persecution of Christians in the modern world is the main issue for the two leaders to discuss, the Russian Orthodox Church said. Christians are among the minorities suffering at the hands of groups adhering to radical Islamist ideology in places like Iraq, Syria and Somalia. In addition to Cuba, Patriarch Kirill’s Latin American tour from February 11-22 includes Paraguay, Chile and Brazil. The meeting with Pope Francis will happen on February 12. “The intersection of the routes allowed this meeting to be organized,” commented Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church's Foreign Relations Department. The pontiff will make a stop in Cuba on his way to Mexico. The meeting has been in preparation for years and both Moscow and the Vatican agreed that some neutral country would be most suited for it. Austria and Hungary were among those considered, but Cuba was eventually chosen. The Patriarch and the Pope are expected to sign a joint declaration after the talks. The Holy See called the upcoming meeting a “sign of good faith” and called on all Christians “to pray to God to bless the meeting,” the Vatican said in a statement. For the Russian Orthodox Church the meeting will be the biggest foreign affairs event since reuniting in 2007 with the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia after a 90-year split. The Great Schism formalized the break of communion between the Latin and Greek parts of Christianity after years of accumulating differences over theology, jurisdiction and ritual. The division endured over centuries, with mutual anathemas declared by the Pope and the Patriarch of what was then Constantinople (now Istanbul) in 1054 nullified only in 1965. https://www.rt.com/news/331391-russian-patriarch-meet-pope/
I'm drawn to the headline and the word "heal" in it. It the Year of Mercy and this Pope has been all about healing the wounds of the broken and now we see an international headline that tells us he will meet with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to heal a rift and a wound. Sorry, it's just not coincidental. It's just not coincidental that their paths are conveniently crossing in Latin America. And again, to be meeting in a country that for years rejected Christianity and all religion for atheism but after several visits now by 3 different popes is the site of where the healing begins. Is this a message in and of itself? God works as he wants to! St. John Paul made the first trip to Cuba all those years ago and even though he is now gone to God some 10 years now, the fruits of opening up the faith to this communist land are being reaped in this visit. It's all very remarkable - even mystical. We really should be praying for both of these leaders that they hear and listen to the Spirit of God.
I know most on this forum interpret certain prophecies from Garabandal quite literally, and as if they are without any error, and that is fine I will not argue. But, remember the prophecy about Joey's eyes. It did not turn out as everyone expected. Now, we just had a synod not too long ago and the Pope declares a year of mercy. And now a Pope is going to meet the Russian Patriarch which has not happened in a thousand years. Well, let's see what happens upon His return to Rome.
The importance of this meeting as it pertains to Garabandal is singular. For if it fails to meet the requirements of the prophecy concerning a meeting specifically in Moscow, it most certainly will serve as a barrier-breaking step for their subsequent get-together. Come Lord Jesus! Pray, pray, pray! Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!
One must wonder about the significance of the possibility of joining both lungs of the church together against the rise of Extremist Islam....Christian martyrdom is world wide and surely both church leaders see this. The time is now and to call our Protestant brother and sisters back too.
There are so many different sites announcing this event and I find them all interesting to read. This is from the left wing Guardian newspaper in the UK: Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox patriarch to hold historic meeting Meeting in Cuba on 12 February will be first between religious leaders since two churches split almost 1,000 years ago Pope Francis will travel to Cuba later this month to meet Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox church, the first such encounter of its kind in history, the Vatican has announced. The pope will arrive in Havana on 12 February and be greeted by Cuba’s president, Raul Castro, before holding a private meeting with Kirill. It will be the first time a pope has met a Russian patriarch and shows a significant warming of relations between the two churches since they split almost 1,000 years ago. Coming after two years of diplomatic talks, the event was of “extraordinary importance”, Federico Lombardi, the Vatican’s chief spokesman, said. The meeting will take place in a room at José Martí international airport and last almost two hours, a considerable length of time given that the pontiff usually meets world leaders for less than an hour. Russia’s Patriarch Kirill conducts a religious service. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP The pair will then sign a joint declaration in Russian and Italian, the details of which have not been made public, before exchanging gifts and making brief statements. There has been speculation that the meeting would lead to a papal visit to Russia, although theVaticanwould not confirm such plans were in motion. Lombardi said Cuba was a “neutral place” for the meeting, convenient for the two religious leaders. Kirill will be in Cuba on an official visit, while Francis will stop on his way to a planned visit to Mexico. Kirill had refused to meet inEuropedue to its “grave history of divisions and conflicts between Christians,” his spokesman said. The churches split during the“great schism” of 1054and have remained estranged over a host of issues, including the primacy of the pope and Russian Orthodox accusations that the Catholic church is poaching converts in Russia. In November 2014, Francis said he had told Kirill: “I’ll go wherever you want. You call me and I’ll go.” The Russian Orthodox church’s spokesman, the Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, said discussions in Havana would focus on persecution of Christians. “The situation as it has developed today in the Middle East, in North and Central Africa and in some other regions, in which extremists are perpetrating a real genocide of the Christian population, has required urgent measures and closer cooperation between Christian churches,” he told journalists. The metropolitan said it was necessary to sweep differences aside, although added there was a “never-healing” wound in alleged “anti-Russian” slogans attributed to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church. Hilarion said long-standing differences between the churches remained, most notably a row over the status of the Uniate church in Ukraine. A joint statement released on Friday said the meeting “will mark an important stage in relations between the two churches. The Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate hope that it will also be a sign of hope for all people of good will. They invite all Christians to pray fervently for God to bless this meeting, that it may bear good fruits.” Francis’s arrival in Havana will come just five months after the pontiff last visitedCuba, before travelling onwards to the US. Francis was credited with brokering the December 2014 deal which saw relations resume between the two countries after more than 50 years of a diplomatic standoff. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/05/pope-francis-to-meet-russian-orthodox-leader-in-cuba
Going to make a prediction about this meeting... Patriarch Kirill will invite Pope Francis to Russia. Question is..when. Papal visits usually need up to a year to plan a visit.
I hope you are right. Time drags heavy on my heels. Then, if the pope accepts this invitation and goes, we can perhaps really face the terrible times at long last and advance to the Warning and the Miracle. My guess has always been that international relations will take a sudden turn for the worse and just as Russia is about to set its fury on Europe then the pope will go to Moscow to make a last ditch plea for peace. This will fail and on his return to the Vatican, as has been intimated by Conchita, "hostilities will break out across Europe." Of course no-one has said the Pope will not make more than one trip. The first may simply be an acceptance of Patriarch Krill's invitation and a second may be necessitated by a sudden need to attempt to broker peace or vise versa. Maybe there will be no obvious downturn in relations but the Pope will see, (or perhaps already has seen) an urgent need for a plea for peace on the first visit. Pope Francis always tries to promote peace. Who knows we will just have to wait and see. The humility of Francis is once again evident. God never forces Himself into areas of our being from which we have chosen to exclude Him. Following God's Way, Pope Francis has waited to be invited. Sorry if this comment sounds a bit mixed up and messy but that's life, mine anyway. In any case I believe we will be given further confirmation if the Pope's visit is indeed the final sign before the Tribulation of Russia and Communism.
I suspect this will happen sooner than later. Maybe even this year. http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2016/...e-and-russian-patriarch-is-finally-happening/ "Back in the John Paul II days, it was always taken for granted that the first encounter between a pope and the Russian patriarch would have to take place on a neutral site, and then it could be followed by a papal trip to Russia itself. "If so, then Vatican-watchers might want to hit Rome bookstores for guidebooks to Moscow, because as of today, the idea of such an outing has transitioned from wildly improbable to increasingly plausible."
While the evidence suggests to me that, despite protests from Church authorities, the Consecration of Russia as requested has not been done, we still have the assurance that it will be done albeit late. Some think this late consecration has been done. I am not so sure. With today's technology it would be simple to email or even fax every bishop and simply ask them to agree to a consecration of Russia in union with the Pope to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Perhaps this agreement will be confirmed in Russia and the Consecration will be done during the Pope's visit to Moscow together with the Orthodox Bishops and this will give the desired (by heaven) public recognition that the Triumph really will belong to Mary. Perhaps this Consecration will facilitate the Aviso which is a major stage in Her Triumph. These are just some of my thoughts and am sure they are not original. They may even be rubbish but just remember Our Lady of Lourdes made her appearances at a rubbish dump.....the worst kind.. ...for hospital waste. Hopefully She will not stray too far from my rubbish dump of a head. She may even help me clean up the mess.
I think too there will be a future full consecration. Because the fear of God will be in the Bishops and they will do it willingly because the conditions will be so bad they will have no other choice.
If what you say is correct.......then how long will this period of peace last and what will it look like? Will for example Isis be a problem? or will China and North Korea be a problem? Will abortion cease? Will pornography still be a problem? Are all peoples and countries going to welcome this triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary? If so then we won't need the Chastisment. And that would be wonderful! However I believe the 1984 consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accomplished by St JP11 and the college of Bishops around the world just as sister Lucia had testified and I also believe we have had that period of peace and now we await the warning and Miracle and chasitisment. The world is going to be at its worst just as the Garabandals seers have predicted. And the world at its worst does not sound like the period of peace promised by Our Lady at Fatima. I also believe that the reign of the Immaculate Heart of Mary which will reign beside Our Lords Sacred Heart will come after the Chastisment and then there will be not 'just be a period of peace' but true and lasting peace! These are my thoughts from my very own garbage dump. You don't own all garbage dumps Joe!
This is great news! There is nothing Freemasonry fears more than reunion between West and East and the healing of the schism. I am still convinced that the assassination attempt on JPII was organized by Freemasonry and was an attempt to disrupt JPII's efforts to defeat the Freemasons who had taken over Russia during that time. I will be praying for Pope Francis's safety as I am sure the devil will be targeting his efforts to heal the Schism.
Nothing I said contradicts what we have been told at Garabandal. The Warning, when things are at their worst, the Miracle and conditional Chastisement are unaffected. I am not sure what period of peace you are talking about Josephite. My comment does not mention that. You must be talking about Fatima. I only know about Garabandal and what we have been told. We have been told that Garabandal follows on from Fatima and that Our Lady said Her Immaculate Heart will ultimately triumph. As for all the other questions in your first paragraph I have no idea what the answers are but hopefully at least for a while the warning will greatly reduce those sins as humanity will have been plainly shown their offense and its consequences. The ultimate consequence of sin is hell so maybe we will all be given a glimpse of hell. That should put the brakes on sin. Like the seers I do not believe the Chastisement can be avoided. My feeling, like yours, is that after the Chastisement will come lasting peace and only then will the Immaculate Heart have triumphed. The Chastisement, although terrible, will be a merciful judgement on mankind. The good as well as the bad will be subjected to it. As far as I know Sister Lucia testified that the consecration of 1984 had been accepted. It was a beautiful consecration. Why would it not be accepted? But as far as I know Sr Lucia never testified that Russia had been consecrated as requested. How could she testify to that as Russia was never mentioned in the consecration and Russia was specified by Our Lady. The earthly source of the error of Communism that now infects the world is Russia and like any good cure one must go to the source. So yes 1984 was accepted for what it was but not for what was requested. And yes I agree that comparatively speaking we have been in a period of peace but only in comparison to the ibvious horrors of WWI and WWII. I believe that period could have been even better had the proper consecration been made and made in time. We were also told that the other partial consecration did bring some benefit. As you know the pope has suggested we have been in piecemeal war across the world for some time now. Just as victims of Nazi experimentation in concentration camps were victims of war so unborn children have been victims of the not so obvious war against atheistic communism. It may be that you are slightly confused Josephite ( again something we have in common) but Garabandal tells us that it is the Warning, not the Chastisement, that will happen when things are at their worst during the Tribulation. There were two 'nights of screams' in Garabandal. The first showed the Tribulation, the second showed the Chastisement. The Chastisement would follow if, even after all the horror, suffering, revelation and wonder of the tribulation warning and miracle, mankind still turned back to sin or simply continued in sin without repentance. So there will be two times when things are at their worst. In the first the days of tribulation effected by man will be cut short by an intervention from heaven: The Aviso. Then if mankind continues to sin, when things are at their worst again; when God has had enough, then will come His Chastisement and earth will be cleansed of sin just as the prophet Isiah was cleansed by the burning coal held to his lips. In this the Immaculate Heart will be seen to have Triumphed. Only then will all peoples and nations welcome the Triumph. The Mother of All Peoples and Lady of All Nations will be credited and acclaimed and the promised proclamation of the 5th dogma will be appreciated. "Pray very much the prayers of the rosary. Only I can still save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in Me will be saved." (Akita) Then perhaps there will be a new heaven and a new earth and the parousia will follow. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Alleluia.
I know I sound a wee bit confused but that is because I can't articulate myself well enough and I may well be wrong, thats definately a possibility. However, I too am looking at all the approved prophesies, and when Our Lady at Fatima stated....... If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecution of the Church. The good will be martyed, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various nations will be destroyed...But in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, Russia will be converted, and a certain period of peace will be granted to the world". When Our Lady mentions the peace she promised after the consecration of Russia she clearly states that it is a 'period of peace' and not the reign of Her Immaculate heart; to me this means it is only an interim or temporary period of peace, not the lasting true peace that will come when Her Immaculate Heart Triumphs and at that time satan will be chained in hell, I believe, according to revelations. Whenever I have stated on the MoG forum that I believe the 1984 consecration of Russia was late but was accomplished according to Sister Lucia, I am bombarded with....."there’s been so much evil in the world how can you believe the world has had a 30 year period of peace, etc", but did Our Lady say that satan would not be active..... No.... she just promised a period of peace to the world after the accepted consecration. In your post above you suggest that the consecration of Russia may be accomplished soon. If we look at the prophesies of Our Lady at Akita and at Garabandal the Warning, Miracle and Chastisement of the entire world will mean that a period of peace will be hard to squeeze in! especially as evil will still be very active, I think, and according to many Catholics on the MoG forum the promised period of peace means that evil will not be active in the world at all! To me this is a misnomer because if that were true there would be no need for the chastisement and the triumph of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart would have been or will be consummated at the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart?
I am sorry but am now confused with what you are saying Jesephite and unclear what point you are trying to make. Firstly let me ask and answer a simple question or two. Did Our Lady ask for Russia to be consecrated? Yes. Did the 1984 consecration mention Russia? No. (I ask 'mention' not 'intend'.) Could Sister Lucia then confirm that the request for Russia to be consecrated was done? No. Could Sr Lucia confirm that the 1984 consecration was accepted by heaven. Yes. Were the 1984 consecration and the 1929 requested consecration different in form? Yes. Was full compliance given to the conditions for the 1929 request for consecration? No? Why? Russia was not specified as requested. Can the full benefits promised by compliance with a consecration that did not fully comply with the request be enjoyed? Answer: Sure if God wills it. Is God likely to reward disobedience to the Mother of His Son? No. Our Lady took particular care and made a point of naming Russia. She named no other country. Just Russia. This is the country She wished to be consecrated. In your highlighted paragraph She specifies Russia three times. Recently Glenn posted Conchita's advice: stay with what you know. What do we know? We know that the girls said their vision of the Tribulation was terrible enough but was not even the Chastisement. So they made the distinction between the two events. We know that The Tribulation is Russia and Communism. We know that the first and foremost error of Communism is atheism, the teaching that we are self sufficient. This error is now global and is accommodated and promoted in particular by China and N. Korea and believed by billions of others. During the period of peace which you suggest we are still enjoying the forces of evil have been gathering their forces and rehearsing for the final battle. At no time during this period has the world been free of military conflict or dreadful spiritual degeneration. The whole time has been one of unmitigated disaster the greatest of which has been abortion; the wholesale slaughter of at least 50 million unborn children for 50 years. There may be a period of peace between the Warning and the Chastisement. Looking at the track record of human history I doubt it will take long before humanity turns back on its vomit after the Warning and then will come the Chastisement. Only after the Chastisement will evil be incapacitated but not until after Armageddon will it be totally eliminated from earth. As far as I know the Chastisement is still conditional but likely. Russia in her birthing of communism continues to this very day to spread her errors, to provoke wars and persecution of the church. This has never stopped. Chinese and Korean, in fact all Communisn finds its source in Russia. Communisn has been involved in war up to and after 1984. So in summary the 'certain period of peace' may be between the Warning and the Chastisement and the Triumph will be complete after the Chastisement.
