April 27, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

“You are a heretic!” Greek priest lashed out at Pope Francis (video)

An elderly Greek priest verbally attacked Pope Francis on Saturday. “Dad, you are a heretic!” the priest shouted three times before the police and took him away.

The Pope arrived for a meeting with the head of the country’s Orthodox Church, testifying to the continuing distrust between some Orthodox and Catholics 1,200 years after Christianity was split in half.

“Dad, you are a heretic!” the priest shouted three times when Francis arrived at the residence of Archbishop Jerome in the Greek capital Athens. Associated Press … The protester fell to the ground as the police tried to take him away, but the Pope did not seem to notice when he entered the residence for his private meeting with the Orthodox leader.

The incident came after protests against the arrival of the Pope, during his previous stop on the island of Cyprus, which is also predominantly Orthodox.

But inside Jerome’s residence, the two Christian leaders are as friendly to each other as possible and simultaneously express a common call for Christians to work together to protect the environment and take care of migrants. Unlike the lonely priest, Jerome met Francis “with a sense of honor and brotherhood.”

Francis’ state visit to Greece took place 20 years after John Paul II made the first such visit to Greece after the Great Schism. [в 1054 году]and used this opportunity to apologize for sins committed by “action or inaction” by Catholics against Orthodoxy over the centuries. On Saturday, Francis again apologized to Jerome and other Orthodox prelates.

Hieronymos told Francis on Saturday that he shares the Pope’s vision of forging strong ties to tackle global challenges such as the migration crisis and climate change.

“If the global community, leaders of powerful nations and international organizations do not make bold decisions, the constantly threatening presence of vulnerable women and refugee children will continue to grow throughout the world,” Ieronimos warned. “Together we must shake the rocks and walls against the intransigence of the powers that be.”

Independent observers believe that the topic of refugee children and climate change was just an excuse, in fact, the meeting was aimed at resolving issues alliance of the catholic church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to oppose the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). The meeting was initiated by the US Department of State.





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