1,000-Year Rift Settled: Pope And Patriarch Finally Meet

"Pope Meets Patriarch"

The landmark meeting between the two religious leaders came before the Pope's arrival in Mexico for a five-day visit.

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The Pope and head of the Russian Orthodox Church have met for the first time in a historic encounter of reconciliation following a 1,000-year split in Christianity.

Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill embraced and kissed each other three times on the cheek during their landmark meeting at Havana airport in Cuba.

It was the first time a pope and Russian patriarch have ever met.

Security is tight, as the Pope is set to visit impoverished areas of Mexico

As they greeted each other, the pontiff said: "Finally, We are brothers.

"It is very clear that this is the will of God."

Kirill said: "Yes, things are much easier now."

The two religious leaders then held talks about healing the long-standing rift between their churches, which split apart in 1054.

Pope Francis was greeted on his arrival in Mexico with mariachi music

Pope Francis has now arrived in Mexico for a five-day visit, which will see him visit some of the communities worst hit by poverty and violence.

He rode in an open-air popemobile from the airport to the Vatican ambassador's residence in Mexico City, with thousands braving the cold to line the route.

Some of the crowds chanted that Francis, the first Latin American Pope, was a "brother of the Mexican people".

At one point, a man appeared to breach tight security barriers and run towards the motorcade, but he was quickly apprehended by security officials.

Ana Gonzalez, a housewife who was among those waiting for the popemobile to pass, said: "Hopefully, his visit and prayers will help Mexico because things are bad and violent."

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On the eve of Pope Francis's arrival, 49 inmates died following a brawl between rival factions of a drug cartel at a prison in Mexico's north.

The country has the second-largest Catholic population in the world.