POPE John Paul II arrived in Greece today, on the first visit to the overwhelmingly Orthodox country by the head of the Roman Catholic Church in nearly 1,000 years. His visit to Greece is the first stage of a six-day tour that will also take him to Syria and Malta, a trip seen by the Vatican as a pilgrimage in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. The visit to Greece, an overwhelmingly Orthodox country, is the first by a pope since the 1054 schism, the division between Rome and eastern churches over doctrinal differences. Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos' invitation to the pope was only grudgingly approved by the Greek Orthodox Church, and security during the visit is expected to be tight due to widespread opposition among the country's Orthodox majority. After the Greek Orthodox Church imposed a series of restrictive measures, only 18,000 people were expected to attend a mass in Athens tomorrow, which the pontiff will say at a simple covered stadium.
Public broadcasters are to air only extracts of the religious ceremony.
The Orthodox Church is opposed to what it sees as proselytism by the Roman Catholic Church in trying to reach out to Christians loyal to the pope in eastern and southern Europe. We welcome your comments on our stories. If this issue arouses interest, we will publish our readers' views. Fill in the form below and click on the submit button. You need to register to search.