The upcoming meeting between Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Pope Francis is about to become an unprecedented historical event.

For the first time the two Christian Churches are going to look each other in the eye after centuries of mutual hostility, Italian journalist and former MEP Giulietto Chiesa told Sputnik.

"However, the West apparently doesn’t consider this news as something worth mentioning. This is understandable, as word of the meeting came as a complete surprise, and it contradicts the whole media agenda, so the West prefers to keep quiet about the enormity of this event and of its possible consequences," he said.

According to Chiesa, the two Church leaders likely agreed to a meeting because they understand the nature of the challenges humanity is facing today, as both of them have warned on numerous occasions that the threat of World War III is distinctly real.

"Both Churches lack nuclear missiles and material forces… But they possess spiritual power, and they're willing to wield it against war, in the name of saving our civilization. They’ve realized the danger and now they call upon the world to stop it," Chiesa concluded.

Andrea Riccardi, former Italian Minister for International Cooperation and founder of the Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio, also said that the meeting was made possible by joint efforts of both Catholic and Orthodox Christians, especially the Pope and the Patriarch themselves.

He declared that both Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill displayed great candor and a willingness to engage in comprehensive dialogue.

"We’re talking about the two people who are very open and yet wise enough not to hold a meeting simply for the sake of protocol and publicity," Riccardi said.

The first meeting in history between the Patriarch and the Pope is scheduled to take place at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana on February 12. Both sides said they hope that the event will become a sign of hope for all people of good will, and asked Christians to pray that the meeting bears 'good fruit.'