These three sculpture fragments from the Parthenon have been in the Vatican Museums since the 19th century. But Pope Francis has now ordered that they return to Greece.
The Vatican has said that the Pope is giving the items to the Orthodox Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Ieronymous II, as a sign of his desire to continue their ecumenical dialogue.
The two last met during Pope Francis' trip to Greece in December 2021, when he apologized for the role of Catholics in creating divisions with the Orthodox Church.
POPE FRANCIS
I feel the need to ask anew for the forgiveness of God and of our brothers and sisters for the mistakes committed by many Catholics.
On that same trip, the Pope visited the Parthenon from a distance as he drove by it in his Fiat.
The move comes as controversy surrounds other museums outside of Greece that have items from the Parthenon in their collections, namely the British Museum in London.
There, more than 245ft of the Parthenon's original frieze is displayed, yet the Greek government has often called for its return to Athens.
The sculpture fragments from the Vatican are much smaller by comparison, though they still composed part of the original temple to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis, dating back as early as 438 B.C.
JM
