Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/640287
ByNicoleWinfield The Associated Press HAVANA With a hug and an exclamation of "Fi- nally," Pope Francis met Friday with Patriarch Kirill in the first ever meet- ing between a pontiff and the head of the Russian Or- thodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000- year schism that has di- vided Christianity. "We are brothers," Fran- cis said as he embraced Kirill in the small, wood- paneled VIP room of Ha- vana's airport, where the three-hour encounter took place. "Now things are eas- ier," Kirill agreed as he and the pope exchanged three kisses on the cheek. "This is the will of God," the pope said. Francis was having the brief talks in Cuba before heading off on a five-day visit to Mexico, where the pontiff will bring a mes- sage of solidarity with the victims of drug violence, human trafficking and dis- crimination to some of that country's most violent and poverty-stricken regions. The meeting and sign- ing of a joint declaration was decades in the mak- ing and cemented Francis' reputation as a risk-taking statesman who values dia- logue, bridge-building and rapprochement at almost any cost. In the 30-point state- ment, the two leaders de- clared themselves ready to take all necessary measures to overcome their historical differences, saying "we are not competitors, but broth- ers." Francis and Kirill also called for political leaders to act on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Cath- olic and Orthodox churches today: the plight of Chris- tians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Is- lamic State group. "In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa, entire families of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being extermi- nated, entire villages and cities," the declaration said. While the meeting has been hailed by many as an important ecumeni- cal breakthrough, Francis has also come under criti- cism for essentially allow- ing himself to be used by a Russia eager to assert itself among Orthodox Christians and on the world stage at a time when the country is increasingly isolated from the West. The declaration was signed in the uniquely ideal location of Cuba: far removed from the Catho- lic-Orthodox turf battles in Europe, a country that is Catholic and familiar to Latin America's first pope, but equally familiar to the Russian church given its anti-American and Soviet legacy. The pope helped me- diate the declaration of de- tente between the U.S. and Cuba in 2014. "If this continues, Cuba will become the capital of unity," the pope said. Calling the talks "very substantive," Kirill said: "The results make it possi- ble to say that today the two churches can actively work together to protect Chris- tians around the world." The Vatican is hoping the meeting will improve rela- tions with other Orthodox churches and spur prog- ress in dialogue over theo- logical differences that have divided East from West ever since the Great Schism of 1054 split Christianity. But Orthodox observ- ers say Kirill's willingness to finally meet with a pope has less to do with any new ecumenical impulse than grandstanding at a time when Russia is increas- ingly under fire from the West over its military ac- tions in Syria and Ukraine. Kirill, a spiritual adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, leads the most pow- erful of the 14 independent Orthodox churches that will meet this summer in Greece in the first such pan-Ortho- dox synod in centuries. The Russian church has long sought greater influ- ence over the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul. "This isn't benevolence. It's not a newfound desire for Christian unity," said George Demacopoulos, the Greek-Orthodox chairman of Orthodox Christian stud- ies at Fordham University in New York. "It is almost entirely about (Kirill) pos- turing and trying to pres- ent himself as the leader of Orthodoxy." Popes as far back as Paul VI have met with the ecu- menical patriarch, who is the "first among equals" in the 250 million-strong Orthodox Church and the only patriarch who can speak for global Or- thodoxy. But the Russian Church is the biggest, wealthiest and most pow- erful in Orthodoxy, and has always kept its dis- tance from Rome. Catholic and Orthodox split in the Great Schism of 1054 and have remained estranged over a host of is- sues, including the primacy of the pope and, more re- cently, Russian Orthodox accusations that the Cath- olic Church was poach- ing converts in former So- viet lands. Those tensions have prevented previous popes from meeting with the Russian patriarch, even though the Vatican has long insisted that it was merely ministering to tiny Catholic communities. 1,000-YEAR SCHISM 'F in al ly :' P op e me et s wi th R us sia n Or th od ox l ea de r ISMAELFRANCISCO—CUBADEBATE Pope Francis, le , and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill exchange documents during their historic meeting in Havana, Cuba, on Friday. By Ilya Gridneff The Associated Press NYAHURURU, KENYA This Valentine's Day, there's a good chance your flowers came from Kenya. "I know the flowers are for giving on Valentine's Day," said Phanice Cherop, a worker at a flower farm in Kenya. "They are very beau- tiful." On a crisp February morning, Cherop squeezed through a row of shoul- der-high white roses, cut a flower and methodically placed it in the bunch she carried. The Kenyan-grown flower was likely headed for a vase in Australia, Eng- land, Japan or the United States. Kenya's cool climate and high altitude make it per- fect for growing large, long- lasting roses. Such condi- tions have helped make Kenya become the world's fourth-biggest supplier af- ter the Netherlands, Ecua- dor and Colombia. Cherop, a 29-year-old single mother of two, works at AAA Growers' Simba farm in Nyahururu, four hours' drive north of the capital, Nairobi. It's the one of company's four 50-acre farms that make them Kenya's third-largest grower of vegetables and flowers combined. Cherop was one of 600 workers bused in from surround- ing villages to pick or pack thousands of roses to be sent around the world ahead of Feb. 14. Flowers are intricately tied to the global econ- omy. When it collapsed in 2008, the cut-flower trade lost $1.5 billion the follow- ing year. In 2013, global ex- ports of cut flowers, cut foli- age, living plants and flower bulbs amounted to $20.6 billion, more than twice the amount in 2001. International events, in- cluding Russia's war in Ukraine and plummet- ing oil prices, have shaped flower fortunes for numer- ous Kenyan farms. Sales to oil-producing nations, such as Norway and those in the Middle East, have dropped due to their reduced spend- ing power, said Britain- born Andrew Mules, gen- eral manager of AAA Grow- ers' Simba farm. "Up until two years ago, flowers would have been the most profitable part of the farm," he said. "Now it is our third after soft fruit and then vegetable crops." Kenya is the sixth-larg- est flower exporter to the U.S., according to the U.S. Customs and Border Pro- tection. As east Africa's ag- ricultural powerhouse, Ke- nya supplies the European Union with 38 percent of its cut-flower imports, partly due to a tax-exemption trade agreement. Mr. Mules, who farmed in Zimbabwe before being evicted under President Robert Mugabe's land re- forms, said prolonged rains due to the El Nino weather pattern have pressured the company's bottom line. "The timing of Valen- tine's Day is perfect for Ke- nya because it falls in the dry season," he said. "Un- fortunately, this year, due to el Nino, it has length- ened the so called 'short rains.' Instead of stopping in November we were get- ting rain in January." Another lament is about Russia. In 2012, flower exports to Russia, the world's fifth- largest flower importer, began shrinking due to its tanking economy and depreciating ruble. Rus- sian military intervention in Ukraine in 2014 only "worsened the situation," said Cindy van Rijswick, a fruit, vegetables and flo- riculture analyst at Dutch bank Rabobank. "A more indirect effect is that, because of the de- clining cut-flowers exports to Russia, these flowers are supplied to other markets, which causes pressure on prices," she said. EXPORTS Those alluring Valentine's Day flowers might just be from Kenya ILYA GRIDNEFF — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Workers pack roses for Valentine's Day at the AAA Growers' farm in Nyahururu, north of the capital Nairobi, in Kenya. Construction Burrows Construction Remodel, New Additions, Siding Repair and Replacement, Water and Dryrot New Construction Foundation to Finish Ph:(530) 515-9779 Residential•Commerical PATIOS•DECKS REFRENCES Lic#824770 InPrintEveryTuesday-Thursday-Saturday Online:Publishes24/7 www.redbluffdailynews.com Threeadditionalonline locations at no extra cost! Print and On-Line HOME SERVICES DIRECTORY Full Size $ 117 .50 Per Month No early cancellation, non-refundable TWO SIZES TO CHOOSE FROM Half Size $ 70 .00 Per Month Roofing Call for Estimates! Residential, Commercial & Mobiles www.harbertroofing.com HARBERT ROOFING, INC. 530-223-3251 Lic# 696974 Time To Roof? Blinds Need Blinds? C A L L P A U L 527-0842 North State Blinds & Draperies www.nsbd.biz Lic.#906022 Paul Stubbs Lawn Service (530) 566-7951 ★ LAWN SERVICE ★ WEED EATING ★ HEADING ★ GUTTER CLEANING ★ FULL TREE SERVICE ★ FIRE BREAKS ScottWest HONEST& DEPENDABLE Green again landscaping Construction A l l en s C o n s t r u c t i o n FREE ESTIMATES 530 949-6162 CA LIC#914460 Advertisement Ifthiswasyour Service Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! Call us at 527-2151 For more information Clock Repair 20910 Pebblestone Dr. Red Bluff 530-736-7079 Grandpa's Clocks Jim Paul Call for appt. Your Clock Repair Shop Member NAWCC Mechanical, Battery and Electrical clocks Advertisement If this was your Service Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! Call us at 527-2151 For more information Landscape/Fence Steve's Tractor & Landscape Service www.stevestractorandlandscape.com • Fence Building • Landscaping • Trenching • Rototilling • Disking • Mowing • Ridging • Post Hole Digging • Blade Work • Sprinkler Installation • Concrete Work Cont. Lic. #703511 SteveDyke 385-1783 Advertisement If this was your Service Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! Call us at 527-2151 For more information Plumber Call Paul 530-840-7290 Office # (530) 840-7419 Lic#667733 After Hour Calls Available SunGold Solar Plumbing AFFORDABLE When You Need An Experienced Plumber Landscape Contractors David P. McFann Office (530) 527-3163 visit us @ dpm-landscaping.com Cont. Lic #560133 Est. 1979 Experts in: * Custom Landscaping * Irrigation Systems * Xeriscape *Hardscape * Landscape Maintenance Tree Service CROWDER TREE SPECIALIST TRIMMING STUMP GRINDING REMOVAL YARD CLEAN UP $50 OFF ALL SERVICES OVER $200 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE WOOD FOR SALE (530) 899-1853 FREE ESTIMATES CA.S.L.#979193 Serving you since 1947 We accept credit cards EXP. 3/31/2016 Lawn Care A L L L A W N C A R E • Mowing • Edging • Weedeating • Clean-ups • Free Consultation Commercial • Residential (530) 529-3689 Serving The Greater Tehama County Area Since 1994 Professional Lawn Care Lic # 6478 www.alllawncare.net Flooring Carpet/Linoleum Installation/Restretch/Repair Vinyl/Laminate/Tile Installation Sub-Floor Installation and Repair 530-200-3821 License #558476 | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2016 8 B