BOB ABERNETHY (anchor): Another historic journey for Pope John Paul II,
a five-day trip to Greece, Syria, and Malta.
For him, it's a
spiritual pilgrimage. A continuation of last year's Holy Land visits to sacred
sites from the Old and New Testament. The trip began in Athens, Greece, where
according to the New Testament, the apostle Paul preached to the Gentiles. On
his arrival, John Paul offered a sweeping statement of regret to the Orthodox
Christians for "sins of action and omission." The statement could help ease tensions
in the region where interfaith relations are historically tense.
Just
the
announcement of John Paul's trip caused vitriolic protests, especially
from Orthodox clergy. Some of them charge the journey is an attempt to extend
papal authority. No Orthodox Church leaders turned out at the airport to greet
John Paul.
The protests against
the Pope in Greece -- especially those by Orthodox clergy -- have dramatized the
deep Orthodox hostility to the Catholic papacy.
For a look at the
roots of that hostility, and the chances of changing it, I spoke with Peter Steinfels,
who writes the "Beliefs" column for the NEW YORK TIMES and teaches at Georgetown
University.
(to Steinfels):
About the relations
between Catholics and Eastern Orthodox: Peter, there have been protests in Greece,
I guess primarily by clergy, nuns, monks. The language used to protest the pope
has been so hostile. Calling him a heretic and all kinds of things like that.
Why are these Greek Orthodox so hostile towards the Pope?
PETER
STEINFELS ("Beliefs" Columnist, NEW YORK TIMES): Some of the statements are
so fierce and vehement that it is hard to subject them to rational analysis. But
I think it is important to remember that Catholics and Orthodox have not shared
a common modern history in the same way that Catholics and Protestants in Europe
or Catholics and Protestants in the United States have shared one. So there are
historical animosities that go back centuries. People repeatedly recall the sacking
of Constantinople by western Christians in the year 1204. And I think that's one
factor. Another factor is simply the identification of orthodoxy with being Greek.
So a religious leader, a Christian's religious leader who is not recognized by
the Orthodox, his presence seemed to challenge Greek identity, at least to some
part of the population. And thirdly, there are these theological objections. The
arguments between orthodoxy and Catholicism. Particularly centering on the Pope's
claims to a universal authority in the church.
Vatican,
while by no means abandoning this pope's high desire to move toward greater unity,
has nevertheless given up this as a likelihood for the near future. They have
other priorities. In the case of Greece, it is completing the pope's desire to
visit these important sites of the New Testament. Particularly where Paul preached
in Athens. In the case of the visit later to Ukraine, it's a pastoral visit to
eastern Catholics in that region. But clearly, the Vatican knows that these are
running into creating tension with the Orthodox, but I think that it shows that
they've changed their priorities. 
