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The face-to-face will be the first between a pope and the Russian patriarch since the eastern and western branches of Christianity separated almost 1,000 years ago in what is known as "The Great Schism."

The meeting is set to take place at Havana's airport, according to a joint statement issued Friday by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Holy See.

The Russian Orthodox Church is the largest and most influential in the Orthodox world, and it wields great power and influence in Russia.

Kirill is a staunch supporter of President Vladimir Putin and his conservative policies. He once famously called the Russian head of state a "miracle from God" and he has come out in support of Moscow's military campaign in Syria which he called a "holy war."

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The Kirill-Francis meeting was years in the works and marks a major development in the Vatican's long effort to bridge the divisions in Christianity. The Kirill-Francis meeting was years in the works and marks a major development in the Vatican's long effort to bridge the divisions in Christianity.

Francis will fly to Cuba before continuing to Mexico for a six-day tour of the country. Kirill will arrive on Thursday in Havana to start an 11-day tour of South America.

Francis said last November that he had told Kirill: "I'll go wherever you want. You call me and I'll go."

The two are not likely to fully reconcile the churches' differences, as that would require major concessions from both sides. Metropolitan Illarion, foreign policy chief of the Russian Orthodox Church, told reporters Friday that one major disagreement between the Holy See and the Russian Church is over various Orthodox churches in western Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.

The conflict centers on the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the country's second-largest, which follows eastern church rites but answers to the Holy See. The Russian Orthodox Church has considered western Ukraine its traditional territory and has resented papal influence there.

Francis also angered the Moscow patriarchy and the Kremlin when he came out in support of Kiev during the country's revolution and remained behind Ukraine when Russia annexed Crimea and fomented the war in its eastern regions. More than 9,000 people have been killed in the conflict since April 2014.

Nevertheless, the two religious leaders said in their joint statement on Friday that they were delighted to soon meet, calling it "an important stage in relations between the two churches." Both sides hoped the event will also be "a sign of hope for all people."

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.

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