Havana, February 5 (RHC)-- Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, will meet February 12th in Havana during brief stop-over by the Holy Father en route to an official visit to Mexico.

According to the Vatican, this will be the first time ever that heads of the Orthodox and Catholic churches will meet, which is considered a first step for a possible visit by Pope Francis to Russia.

Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill will hold a personal meeting at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport and later they will sign a joint statement, the Vatican announced, adding that the meeting will become a milestone in bilateral relations between the two ecclesiastic institutions.

In addition to Cuba, Patriarch Kirill’s Latin American tour from February 11-22 includes Paraguay, Chile and Brazil.