Pope meets Cyprus’ Orthodox leader in bid to strengthen ties

Pope Francis speaks with Archbishop Chrysostomos (AP)

Pope Francis has met the leader of Cyprus’ Greek Orthodox Church with the aim of further mending an ideological and political rift between the Catholic West and the Orthodox East that dates back nearly a millennium.

After Archbishop Chrysostomos II greeted Francis, the two held talks behind closed doors on the second day of the pope’s three-day trip to Cyprus.