Pope Francis echoes John Paul II in asking forgiveness of Orthodox

In Greece, Pope Francis has followed in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II in asking forgiveness of the Orthodox for the mistakes made by Catholics -- "actions and decisions that had little or nothing to do with Jesus and the Gospel, but were instead marked by a thirst for advantage and power" and that "gravely weakened our communion."

In a moving reflection during a meeting with His Beatitude Hieronymos II, he nevertheless invited Christians of both confessions to lean on their common roots.

Just hours after landing from Cyprus, the Pope was received by the Primate of All Greece. This meeting was the second between the two men, after that of 2016 in Lesbos.

The Pope's reflection centered on the symbolism of the olive tree.

The fruitfulness, though, was "compromised by division," the Pope said, and asked for forgiveness. "Tragically, in later times we grew apart. Worldly concerns poisoned us, weeds of suspicion increased our distance and we ceased to nurture communion."

A few minutes earlier, Hieronymus II had asked, without wanting to “embarrass” Pope Francis, that the latter have the courage and the honesty to consider the missing signs and omissions of his predecessors.

The Orthodox Patriarch alluded to the Greek War of Independence. According to a specialist in the Orthodox world contacted by I.MEDIA, in 1821, the Western powers and the Vatican had not supported the civil and civic resistance movement of the Greeks then under Ottoman influence.

Carrying on with the symbol of the olive trees common to Rome and Greece, the Pope spoke of olive oil:

As well, the Pope reflected, Jesus asks us to pray.

He was insistent that Christians must seek communion:

The Successor of Peter also paid homage to the solidity of the theological formation within the Orthodox Church. Here, I would like to express my appreciation for the importance that this Orthodox Church, heir to the first significant inculturation of the faith, with Hellenic culture, devotes to theological training and preparation. 

With thanks for participation in the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue, he also called for collaboration to “heal the wounds of humanity” and to advocate for the poorest.

As he had done in Cyprus before the Holy Synod, the Pontiff asked the Greek Orthodox for their help for the synod on the theme of synodality, started by the Catholic Church for two years:

Pope Francis and Hieronymus II, 84 and 83 years old respectively, already met in 2016, during the visit of the Bishop of Rome to the island of Lesbos, which he will visit a second time on December 5. The migratory crisis, said the Pontiff in front of the archbishop, is one of the greatest tragedies of our time

Before the Pope took the floor, Hieronymus II had also mentioned the theme of migrants, arguing that “fine words are no longer enough” and deploring the attitude of certain countries, such as Turkey, which exploit these suffering people.

Insisting on the complexity of the migratory phenomenon, the Orthodox leader wanted to be clear: “It is our duty to stop the flow of migrants […] now! "

During his trip to Greece in 2001 , in a more hostile context, Pope John Paul II - the first pope to visit Greek soil since the Great Schism of 1054 - asked forgiveness from the country's Orthodox for the crimes of Catholics, in particular the sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204.

In Greece, the Argentine pontiff was received with dignity, but with a certain reserve.

Upon his arrival at the Orthodox Archbishopric, an elderly Orthodox priest accosted the head of the Catholic Church, shouting in Greek: “Pope you are a heretic.” He was subsequently subdued by the police.