In Greece, the Pope apologizes to Orthodox for the mistakes of Catholics

The pope acknowledged that the decisions and actions of Catholics were far from evangelical teaching

On December 4, 2021, during a meeting with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Greece Ieronymos II, Pope Francis apologized to the Orthodox for the mistakes of Catholics, according to vaticannews.va.

According to Pope Francis, the reason for the division between Christians was the thirst for profit and power on the part of the Catholic Church, which has nothing to do with the spirit of the Gospel.

"We have been poisoned by secular poisons; the weeds of suspicion have increased the distance between us. I am ashamed to admit – in relation to the Catholic Church – that actions and decisions having absolutely nothing to do with Jesus and the Gospel and dictated primarily by the thirst for profit and power, have weakened our communion. We let fruitfulness be jeopardized by divisions. History has its weight, and today I feel the need to apologize again to God and to the brothers for the mistakes made by many Catholics," said the Pope.

Pope Francis mentioned the common apostolic roots shared by the Catholics and Orthodox and called for helping each other and respecting mutual freedom, rather than proselytizing.

"They (common roots – Ed.) are hidden underground and often forgotten, but they are and hold everything together. These are apostolic roots. Only the Holy Spirit can dispel darkness and illuminate steps we take on our path. Let us not be afraid of each other, but help each other to worship God and serve our neighbor, without engaging in proselytism and fully respecting the freedom of others," the Pope added.

In turn, the head of the Church of Greece, Ieronymos II, offered the Pope to jointly address modern challenges, including climate change and migration, which, according to the GOC Primate, lack sufficient action.

As previously reported by the UOJ, in Athens, police detained an elderly cleric for shouting that the pope is a heretic.

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