POPE FRANCIS IN GREECE TO SEEK DEEPER TIES WITH EASTERN CHURCHES

Sat 04 December 2021:

On Saturday, Pope Francis arrives in Athens for the first time in two decades, amid high security in the Greek capital amid anti-papal sentiment among Orthodox hardliners.

On Sunday, the pope will return to the Greek island of Lesbos, which he last visited in 2016 during the height of the migration crisis.

However, he is the first pope to visit Athens since John Paul II in 2001, which was the first papal visit to the city since the 1054 Schism between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Francis is attempting to repair strained ties with the Orthodox Church while also drawing attention to the plight of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers in Greece.

“I ardently long to meet you all, all, not only Catholics, but all of you,” he said in a message before embarking on his trip, which began on Thursday with a two-day visit to Cyprus.

“By meeting you, I will quench my thirst at the springs of fraternity,” he said.

On Saturday, Francis will meet with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Archbishop Ieronymos, the head of the Church of Greece.

Following that, he will meet with members of Greece’s small Catholic community.

Up to 2,000 police officers will be stationed in Athens to keep an eye on possible protests by Orthodox hardliners who blame Catholics for the Schism and the sacking of Constantinople in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade.

According to the Union of Orthodox Journalists, the bishop of Piraeus called the pope’s visit “immoral.”

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