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Orthodox Synod Says Pope may visit
Long debate ends in cautious welcome

After a long series of proposals and counter-proposals culminating in a debate on March 5, the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church has issued a statement indicating that Pope John Paul II would be welcome if he chose to visit Greece. 

The Holy Father has frequently expressed a desire to visit Athens, as part of his Jubilee pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul. In February he sent a hand-written letter to Orthodox Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, confirming that desire. That letter was written shortly after Greek President Constantinos Stephanopoulos, during a visit to Rome, issued an invitation to the Pope on behalf of the nation’s government. 

Pope John Paul II has ordinarily sought an invitation from Orthodox Church leaders before visiting a country where the Orthodox faith predominates. (The Pontiff’s scheduled visit to Ukraine is a noteworthy exception to that rule. See related story, page 45.) In Greece, where 97 percent of the population is Orthodox, there is a great deal of opposition to a papal visit. 

The Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church is a permanent body, composed of 12 bishops. While a few members had indicated their opposition to a visit by the Pope, the majority had not expressed any public opinion prior to the March 5 discussion. “Of course, if he wants to come, our door is open. We will not refuse,” Archbishop Christodoulos said before that meeting. But he also made clear that the original invitation to the Roman Pontiff came from the Greek government, not the Orthodox Church. “He is not asking for our invitation. It has been secured from the Greek government. It appears enough for him. What he is asking us for is our opinion, whether he can make the trip without causing us problems,” Christodoulos said. 

The Holy See responded with satisfaction to the news that the Holy Synod would welcome a papal visit. “The dates for a trip by John Paul II to Greece are still uncertain,” said papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls. But the Vatican official indicated that the Pope’s visit would probably be a step in “the pilgrimage that will also take the Pope to Syria and Malta.” Plans are already in place for a papal trip to Syria in May.

“This is a historic moment for the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, because for the first time a pope is visiting a Hellenic land,” said Archbishop Paul Fouad Tabet, the papal nuncio in Athens. Speaking on Vatican Radio, the nuncio added: “This is the choice of the Orthodox Holy Synod in favor of ecumenism and Christian unity.” He stressed that the decision by the Orthodox body was made possible by the fact that the papal visit would “have the character of a pilgrimage, and a purely spiritual significance.”

The Holy Synod revealed that the decision to accept a papal visit had been unanimous. The Synod called upon the faithful of the Orthodox Church to “have confidence in your hierarchy,” and greet the Pope’s visit “with affability, serenity, and a calm spirit.” The Synod added that the Orthodox bishops are discussing how, “in accordance with our sacred laws and traditions,” the Orthodox Church can participate in the events associated with the Pope’s trip.

The decision by the Holy Synod represents a distinct change in the public attitudes of the Greek Orthodox hierarchy. In September 1999, the same body rejected the prospect of a papal visit, explaining that the decision was a reaction against “the imperial tendencies shown by the Pope toward other Christians,” and the Vatican’s alleged strategy of aggressive proselytism in traditionally Orthodox lands. In 1981, the Holy Synod had said that the Pope should not be allowed to “contaminate Greek soil” by his presence.

In light of such rejections, Archbishop Nikolaos Foscolos had told the Pope, in October 1999, that there was little likelihood he could travel to Greece. “We will hope against hope,” he said at that time. As recently as November of last year, Archbishop Foscolos had said that there would be “many difficulties” standing in the way of a papal visit.