Even if few people expect the meeting, which took two years of secret planning, to wipe away centuries of distrust and suspicion in few hours, it surely will be a groundbreaking step toward Catholic-Orthodox relations. Emphasizing the same idea, Francis and Kirill affirmed the three hour meeting “will mark an important stage in relations between the two churches.” That rendezvous could be compared to a growing fruit whose seeds have been planted multiple times in the past by numerous positive contacts. The fruit is a symbol of continuous work and insistence. With Patriarch Kirill presenting his opinion that the meeting was “at the right time and at the right place,” both leaders strongly pointed out that “Orthodox and Catholics share the
