Archbishop of All Greece Visits the Pope

His Beatitude Christodoulos [in English his name means slave of Christ] paid a first visit to the Pope by an Orthodox archbishop of Athens and All Greece. (Christodoulos had visited the Vatican before; the occasion was the funeral of John Paul II.)

That first visit to a Pope was historic enough. The ending of their meeting was historic, too. The two religious leaders signed a joint declaration in which they reaffirm the collaboration of Orthodox and Catholics, particularly in the defense of life and the recovery of Europe's Christian roots.

The delegation accompanying Archbishop Christodoulos joined him in the papal an address by each, the Orthodox archbishop of Athens and All Greece and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome.

Benedict XVI spoke first, attesting that "today, our relations resumed slowly but profoundly and with a concern of authenticity."

"It offers us the opportunity to discover a whole new range of spiritual expressions full of meaning and a mutual commitment. We thank God," the Pope said. [Source: ZENIT.org]

We thank God, indeed, and pray that efforts toward unity progress.