ATHENS, May 4, 01 (CWNews.com) – Shortly after his arrival in Greece today, Pope John Paul II visited the ranking Orthodox prelate of that land, and issued a statement asking forgiveness for offenses committed by Catholics against the Orthodox.
After making a courtesy call on Greek President Constantinos Stephanopoulos immediately after his plane landed, the Holy Father traveled to the residence of Orthodox Archbishop Christodoulos. There he spoke of the need for "purification of memory." The Pope continued: "For the occasions past and present, when sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by action or omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us the forgiveness we beg of him."
The Pope made a particular mention of "the disastrous sacking of the imperial city Constantinople, which was for so long the bastion of Christianity in the East." That sacking, by Crusaders en route to the Holy Land, "fills Catholics with deep regret," he said. The sacking of Constantinople nearly 800 years ago remains a particularly sore point in the Greek Orthodox memory, and a focus of complaints against Rome.
Pope John Paul told Archbishop Christodoulos that Catholics and Orthodox must work to overcome their historical antagonisms, which give rise to divisions within the Church. These divisions, he continued, are "a sign in the eyes of God and a scandal in the eyes of the world." The Pope also paid tribute to the Greek Orthodox Church, saying that Rome looks to Athens "with unaffected admiration." He continued: "The universal Church can never forget what Greek Christianity has given her, cannot cease to give thanks for the enduring influence of the Greek tradition."
While the Pope clearly went out of his way to avoid controversial issues, his host did not. Archbishop Christodoulos offered a warm welcome to John Paul II, but in his remarks he drove home the point that "the Greek and Orthodox people have suffered a great deal at the hands of the West."
The Orthodox prelate went on to mention two current disputes: the Eastern Catholic churches—whose very existence, he said, "has blocked dialogue between the two churches"—and the failure of the Vatican to support the Greek cause on the island of Cyprus.
Pope Asks Pardon; Orthodox Prelate Adamant 
to: 
Outline:
Yippee! Hope John Paul II live long enough to dismantle Roman Catholicism & Return to Christianity! (eom) by Christopher Yip, 2001, Jun 01 
Back to Antioch's Home Page