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A Mother’s reflec
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—page 3
Pope’s trip to Greece, Syria reaches across
centuries of division
By John Thavis
Damascus, Syria (CNS)
O n a pilgrimage highlighted by bold ecumeni
cal and interreligious gestures, Pope John
Paul II reached across centuries of division to
Orthodox Christians in Greece and Muslims in
Syria.
In Greece May 4-5, the pope issued a dramatic
apology for past treatment of the Orthodox and
said it was time to “heal the wounds” that have
divided Eastern and Western churches for nearly
1,000 years. Vatican and Orthodox officials called
the visit an ecumenical breakthrough.
In Syria May 6, he became the first pope in his
tory to enter a mosque, where he was warmly
greeted by his Muslim hosts. He said Christianity
and Islam should forever put aside conflict and ask
forgiveness for past offenses.
The pope was tracing the footsteps of Saint Paul,
and he encouraged the minority Catholic commu
nities in Greece and Syria to follow the Apostle’s
example in combining evangelization and dia
logue. He said Saint Paul had approached the
ancient peoples of the region on their own cultural
terms 2,000 years ago, launching the church’s uni
versal mission.
The pope, who turns 81 later in May, appeared
tired as he labored through receptions and liturgies
during the first three days of his May 4-9 pilgrim
age, which also was to take him to Malta, the site
of Saint Paul’s shipwreck on his way to martyrdom
in Rome.
But the pontiff was clearly buoyed by the appar
ent success of his first two stops and the welcome
he received—cordial in Greece and enthusiastic in
Syria.
“It has gone beyond our expectations. The pope
is very pleased,” Vatican spokesman Joaquin
Navarro-Vails said at mid-trip.
The pope arrived in Greece with little fanfare
and a pilgrim’s humble demeanor. He made his
biggest ecumenical impact with a unilateral apolo
gy on behalf of Catholics, delivered in front of the
head of the Orthodox Church in Greece, Arch
bishop Christodoulos of Athens.
“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 for-
Pope John Paul II waves as he arrives
at the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus
May 6. As he stepped inside the
mosque, he became the first Catholic
pontiff ever to visit a Muslim house of
worship.
Among the especially painful memories for the
Orthodox, he said, was the “disastrous” sacking of
Constantinople by Western Crusaders in 1204.
Constantinople, today the city of Istanbul in
Turkey, was the center of the Eastern church in
Greece at the time.
“It is tragic that the assailants, who had set out to
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secure free access for Christians to the Holy Land,
turned against their own brothers in the faith. The
fact that they were Latin Christians fills Catholics
with deep regret,” he said.
The pope followed his strong mea culpa state
ment with a call to turn the page, saying the time
had come for Christians to put aside rancor over
past injustices and “walk together.”
At the end of the day, Archbishop Christodoulos
prayed the Our Father with the pope and called his
visit the start of “a new era” between the churches.
The archbishop flew to Moscow the next day for
talks with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II, a
coincidence Vatican officials found promising.
The pope visited the Areopagus, the Athens hill
side where Saint Paul first preached to the Greeks,
and venerated an icon of the apostle. He called
Paul a model for the church and a special inspira
tion to his own papacy.
Throughout his stay, he lauded Greek culture and
encouraged the country’s new role as a member of
the European Community. He met with Greek Pre
sident Konstantinos Stephanopoulos and other
ministers, who said they were pleased that anti
pope demonstrations earlier in the week had run
out of steam by the time the pope arrived.
Before leaving for Syria, the pope celebrated a
low-key Mass with 18,000 Catholics in an Athens
basketball arena, on a small altar placed on one
end of the court. The simple liturgy seemed de
signed to assure Greeks that the pope’s visit had no
triumphal aims.
The visit to the Umayyad Great Mosque in Da
mascus marked a milestone in Christian-Muslim
relations, and in a talk to Muslims the pope urged
others to take note of the historic event.
“It is my ardent hope that Muslim and Christian
religious leaders and teachers will present our two
great religious communities as communities in
respectful dialogue, never more as communities in
conflict,” he said.
“It is crucial for the young to be taught the ways
of respect and understanding, so that they will not
be led to misuse religion itself to promote or justi
fy hatred or violence,” he said.
The pope, who greeted the Muslim leaders with
the Arabic expression, As-salamu alaikum (“Peace
be with you”), received long applause and a warm
reception from dozens of imams and other Islamic
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