Greece Denounces Protests Against Pope Visit

ATHENS, May 3, 01 (CWNews.com) - The Greek government on Thursday denounced protests against Pope John Paul II's visit to the country this week as the work of a "fringe" element.

Responding to nightly television images of Orthodox monks and nuns shouting anti-Catholic slogans in protest rallies, the government said the majority of Greeks were looking forward to the two-day papal visit starting on Friday. "Incidents and gatherings by various fringe religious groups do not represent the vast majority of the Greek people and the country's policy toward the head of the Roman Catholic church," Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis told reporters.

Some ultraconservative Orthodox groups oppose the first visit by a Pontiff to Greece in over a thousand years, calling the trip an attempt at proselytization and decrying a history of perceived slights and outrages by Catholics against the Orthodox. The leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church lifted its opposition to the visit late last year, welcoming the Pope on the pilgrimage retracing the steps of St. Paul. The Pope will also visit Syria and Malta on his journey.

The Greek Orthodox leaders also denounced the protests. "These people ... have no official relation with the Church of Greece," said Haris Konidaris, a spokesman for Greek Orthodox leader Archbishop Christodoulos. "Acts of fanaticism and zealots are very few. Of course, they are loud and that's why they make an impression. But it is unfair to the image of the Church and unfair to the image of Greece."

Meanwhile, the Greek government also announced that the Pope will continue his long-standing tradition of kissing the soil of a country when he first visits. Some Catholic leaders in the country had proposed avoiding the ceremony to avoid offending some of the radical protesters, despite the Vatican's insistence that the Holy Father would not change his practice.

"Proposals were made so that there would be no misunderstanding from the fellow Orthodox Church," said Father Petros Roussos, a Church spokesman.

Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
3. mai 2001