Thousands cheered and gave a warm welcome to Pope Francis when he stepped out his plane Friday night in Mexico City.
This is Francis' first official visit to the heavily Catholic country. He was greeted by President Enrique Peña Nieto, first lady Angélica Rivera, traditional dancers, and a large crowd of admirers waving flashlights in time to the music from a band. Pope Francis arrived in Mexico hours after he and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church signed a joint declaration for religious unity. Their historic meeting was aimed at healing the 1,000-year-old rift between the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity. Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and Patriarch Kirill embraced and kissed each other three times on the cheek as they began a two-hour meeting at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana. "We hope our meeting contributes to the re-establishment of this unity wished for by God," the declaration says. |