The Vatican hands over three Parthenon fragments to Greece
A gift to the Orthodox archbishop wanted by Pope Francis to extol the importance of fraternal relations. They depict two young men and a horse's head. The hope is that this sign of peace between Christians can also be a reference point for Ukraine, where weapons have taken over from dialogue.
Athens (AsiaNews) - In a sober and subdued atmosphere, out of respect for the 60 victims of the terrible train accident that took place a few days ago on the slopes of Mount Olympus, on March 7, three fragments of the Parthenon that were in the possession of the Vatican museums were handed over to Archbishop Ieronymus of Greece.
The official ceremony was attended by Card. Fernando Vergez Alzaga, Governor of the Vatican City, the Minister of Culture of Greece Lina Mendoni, Rev. Emanuel Papamikroulis representing the Archbishop of Greece and the Director of the Vatican Museums Barbara Jatta.
These three fragments, consisting of two youths' faces and a horse's head, the result of looting by the British ambassador Elgin, had been legally acquired by the Vatican Museums in the 19th century.
The decision to donate them to the Archbishop of Greece was made by Pope Francis during his trip to Cyprus and Greece in December 2021, so that they could return to their original location, at the Parthenon in Athens.
This gift by Pope Francis is meant to express the importance and value of charity according to God and at the same time to exalt the importance of the fraternal relations that exist between two sister Churches, also strengthening their path in ecumenical dialogue.
This dialogue must be a point of reference and a sign of peace between Christians, especially at a time when in the not-so-distant Ukraine, weapons have taken over the dialogue between Christians.
Pope Francis emphasised, "beauty must be a source of inspiration and reconciliation in continuous and reciprocal dialogue, to build bridges and silence the din of weapons that have turned the land given to us by the Creator into a place of massacre."
For his part, the representative of the Archbishop of Greece, Rev. Emmanuel Papamikrulis, extolled this gesture of Francis, underlining its many positive implications: it is in fact a tangible proof of our common witness to the Truth and - at the same time - it is a proof of the common will of Christians to walk towards full unity, based on charity, in the context of respect and mutual understanding.
Rev. Papamikrulis added, "this proves that when Christians work together, they can provide answers to historical issues that have been pending for so many years and that can be a source of calamity for all humanity."
As devotees of classical Greek culture have commented, Francis' gesture should also be interpreted as a tribute to the Greek spirit that Christianity, at the foot of the Acropolis, made its own. The Parthenon was meant to represent precisely the convergence of divine wisdom with human thought in search of Truth, in an approach that was later embraced by all humanity.
Archbishop Ieronymus of Greece, in once again applauding the pope's initiative, wished that this gesture would soon find imitators.
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10/08/2004
