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In Athens, the Pope renews the Catholics' request for "forgiveness" from the Orthodox

2021-12-04T16:04:15.599Z


The Pope renewed Saturday in Athens the request for “forgiveness” of the Catholics to the Orthodox, evoking “errors” and the “shame” of the Church, 20 ...


The pope renewed Saturday in Athens the request for “

forgiveness

” of the Catholics to the Orthodox, evoking “

errors

” and the “

shame

” of the Church, 20 years after the symbolic gesture of John Paul II.

Read also Why Pope Francis so quickly accepted the resignation of Bishop Michel Aupetit

To our shame - I recognize this in the name of the Catholic Church - actions and choices (...) have withered communion. We have thus allowed divisions to compromise fertility

”, declared the Pope during a speech before the Orthodox Archbishop of Athens, Hieronym II. "

History has weight, and today I feel the need to renew my request for forgiveness to God and to my brothers for the mistakes made by many Catholics

", he added, a few hours after his arrival in Athens.

In May 2001, during his visit to the Greek capital, John Paul II asked for “

forgiveness

” from the Orthodox, separated from the Catholic Church since the schism of 1054 between Rome and Constantinople. Introducing himself "

with a lot of respect and humility

", Francis spoke on Saturday of the "

common roots

" of the two churches which "

crossed the centuries

", and regretted that they then "

grew far from each other.

".

"

The poisons of the world have contaminated us, the seed of suspicion has increased our distance and we have ceased to cultivate communion

", he lamented before discussing at length his aspiration to "

brotherhood

". This request is "

a deepening of the healing of memory that was initiated by John Paul II,

" Hyacinthe Destivelle, director of the Institute for Ecumenical Studies of the Angelicum in Rome, told AFP, recalling that “

The Greek world has been the most hurt by relations with Western Christians, more than the other Churches

”.

At the end of their speeches, the Pope and the Archbishop exchanged gifts in a visibly cordial atmosphere.

This visit, the first by a pope to Athens since that of John Paul II, is placed under high security due to the hostile climate that traditionally reigns there, in a country with an overwhelming Orthodox majority where Catholics represent scarcely more than '1% of the population.

When the Pope arrived at the Archdiocese, an Orthodox priest appeared in the presence of journalists, shouting: “

Pope, you are a heretic

”, before being overpowered by the police.

In 2014, on his return from a trip to the holy land, the Holy Father had already asked for forgiveness for the “

divisions

” between Christians.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-12-04

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