Papal Visit Will Be the First in 1,291 Years

ATHENS, Greece, MAY 1, 2001 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II's visit to Athens, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, will be the first papal visit to the country in 1,291 years, according to the Greek press.

The Kathimerini newspaper reported that the last papal visit dates back to the year 710, when Pope Constantine made a stopover in Ceos Island, 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Athens, and Khios, before traveling to Constantinople to meet with Emperor Justinian II.

On that occasion, Pope Constantine was welcomed by representatives of the Byzantine Empire and the patriarchate of Constantinople. The Holy Father later met with the patriarch, with whom he celebrated a solemn religious ceremony in the Church of St. Sophia.

According to journalist Spyros Pagiatakis, who was a member of the papal entourage that visited Ankara, Turkey, in 1979, John Paul II already then expressed the wish "to visit Greece."

Given John Paul II's imminent visit, Christodoulos, primate of the Greek-Orthodox Church, called an extraordinary meeting this week of the Permanent Commission of his synod, to appeal for the avoidance of "behavior that might undermine unity."

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1. mai 2001