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Pope Francis prays for Greece, theology students pray for cancellation of “heretic” Pope’s visit

One day before flying to the Greek island of Lesvos to visit the refugees and migrants in the detention center, Pope Francis prayed for for his visit to Greece tomorrow Saturday.

Pope Francis in  Santa Maria Maggiore Church in Rome. The press office of Vatikan said that the Pope offered to Virgin Mary blue and white flowers, the colors of the Greek flag.

The Archbishop of Greek Orthodox Church Ieronymus already went to Lesvos, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras are expected to arrive in time to welcome Pope Francis at 10:25 a.m. on Saturday. More than 200 journalists from around the world will report live on this historic visit aiming to send strong message about the Refugee Crisis.

The representatives of the Greek Orthodox and the Catholic Church will share a meal with the people in Moria detention center, will hold a memorial service at the shore and throw wreaths into the sea for all those refugees and migrants who were drowned trying to reach Europe, they will issue a joint statement on the Refugee Crisis. Pope Francis is expected to leave Lesvos at 3 o’ clock in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, in Thessaloniki, theology students have been praying for the cancellation of Pontifix’s visit to Greece.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the theology students association “Saint Porphyrius” in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the students expressed their opposition to the visit of the “heretic” Pope in Greece. Among others the students note:

“we beg in tears that the visit of the heretic pope of Rome is cancelled otherwise
 the consequences would be disastrous.”

Τhe theology students are not alone. The Metropolit of Glyfada  in Athens sent a letter to the Holy Synod on Monday asking the cancellation of Pope Francis’ visit.

So, what’s the uproar about?

It has to do with the East–West Schism, commonly referred to as the Great Schism of 1054, is the break of communion between what are now the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, which began in the 11th century and continues to the present day.

The ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes between the Greek East and Latin West pre-existed the formal rupture that occurred in 1054. Prominent among these were the issues of the source of the Holy Spirit and Filioque

Filioque literally “and [from] the Son” is a Latin term added to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (NCC) which is not in the original version. It has been the subject of great controversy between Eastern and Western Christianity. The Latin term Filioque describes the double procession of the Holy Spirit and is translated into the English clause “and the Son” in that creed:

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified.

Other issues that differences between the Greek Orthodox and the Catholic Churches are: whether leavened or unleavened bread should be used in the Eucharist, the Bishop of Rome‘s claim to universal  jurisdiction, and the place of the See of Constantinople – the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople –  in relation to the Pentarchy in Rome.

The opposition to the Popal visit is not personal to Pope Francis. The differences are not going to be solved, the Greek Orthodox hardliners have been considering the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, and any Pope since 1054 as “heretic.”

PS Athens sends 6 riot police squads to Lesvos for increased security measures.

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4 comments

  1. It is heartwarming to see the power of love, forgiveness and reconciliation that Jesus preached (if he ever existed) in action….

  2. How does this Luciferian not spontaneously combust when he quotes the Bible?

  3. So much for forgiveness.