In historic meeting Pope, Russian Patriarch decry abortion, defend traditional marriage
English: Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow Русский: Кирилл (Патриарх Московский) Беларуская: Кірыл, Патрыярх Маскоўскі (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A joint declaration signed by both Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill , head of the Orthodox Church of Moscow and All Russia, issued today after their historic meeting in the Havana Cuba airport issues a strong call for the defense of life and family. The declaration commenced with a wish to reestablish Christian unity , stating a “determination to undertake all that is necessary to overcome the historical divergences we have inherited.” The religious leaders expressed the wish to combine the efforts of Orthodox and Catholics “to give witness to the Gospel of Christ and to the shared heritage of the Church of the first millennium, responding together to the challenges of the contemporary world” since “human civilization has entered into a period of epochal change.” "We regret that other forms of cohabitation have been placed o