The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, welcomed the Pope at the entrance to the Presidential Palace.
The Pope listened to the “Hymn to Liberty,” the Greek national anthem, at the palace entrance, while the uniformed guards stood at attention.
Moments later, he greeted the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis...
And the country's civil, military and religious authorities.
After meeting behind closed doors with the President and the Prime Minister, Pope Francis gave his first public address in Greece. The event highlighted the importance of Ancient Greece as “the memory of Europe” and a place of wisdom and democracy.
POPE FRANCIS
'Without Athens and without Greece, Europe and the world would not be what they are. They would be less wise, less happy.'
In the crib of democracy and the Western world, and in front of Greek politicians, the Pope noted that “we are witnessing a retreat from democracy.” He said politics must prioritize the common good and focus especially on the most vulnerable.
POPE FRANCIS
'The remedy is not to be found in an obsessive quest for popularity, in a thirst for visibility, in a flurry of unrealistic promises or in adherence to forms of ideological colonization, but in good politics'.
He also emphasized citizens' fundamental role in democracies.
POPE FRANCIS
'From partisanship to participation. This is what should motivate our actions on a variety of fronts.'
Pope Francis referenced “The Odyssey” to explain the importance of taking the right path, which requires putting the common good above private interests.
POPE FRANCIS
'It might seem a utopia, a hopeless journey over a turbulent sea, a long and unachievable odyssey. Yet, as the great Homeric epic tells us, traveling over stormy seas is often our only choice.'
He also used Homer's epic to describe the drama of modern migrants in the Mediterranean. He called them “the protagonists of a horrendous modern Odyssey.”
In Greece, one of the primary points of entry into Europe for migrants, Pope Francis again insisted upon the need for coordinated efforts in Europe to address the migration crisis.
POPE FRANCIS
'The European Community, prey to forms of nationalistic self-interest, rather than being an engine of solidarity, appears at times blocked and uncoordinated.'
As Greece celebrates 200 years of independence from the Ottoman Empire, the Pope remembered the coexistence among Orthodox Christians, who make up 86 percent of the country's 11 million inhabitants, and Catholics, who make up about one percent.
After both leaders spoke, the Pope gave the President a medal commemorating the trip and the eighth year of his pontificate. He also gave her a collection of his pontifical texts.
President Sakellaropoulou, Greece's first female president, gave the Pope a replica of a mosaic from a fifth-century Christian church in Athens. She also gave him a special gift basket.
-“They are typical Greek products, of which we are very proud.”
-“As we say in Italy, from the sacred to food.”
After this visit, the Pope will continue his trip with a meeting with the Orthodox Archbishop of Athens, Ieronymos II.
BGA
TR: CT
