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OBIT-CHRISTODOULOS (UPDATED) Jan-29-2008 (530 words) With photos posted Jan. 28. xxxi
Pope offers condolences to Greek Orthodox mourning leader's death
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI offered his condolences to the Orthodox Church of Greece on the death of Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, who "opened a new era of cordial cooperation" between Catholics and Orthodox.
Archbishop Christodoulos, the 69-year-old primate of the Greek Orthodox Church, died Jan. 28 in Athens after a long struggle with intestinal and liver cancer.
In a telegram to Orthodox Metropolitan Seraphim of Karystia and Skyros, Pope Benedict called Archbishop Christodoulos a "distinguished pastor" and praised him particularly for welcoming Pope John Paul II to Greece in 2001, a visit that was opposed by many Orthodox bishops and priests.
Welcoming Pope John Paul and then traveling to the Vatican in 2006, Archbishop Christodoulos "opened a new era of cordial cooperation between us, leading to increased contacts and improved friendship in the search for closer communion in the context of the growing unity of Europe," Pope Benedict wrote.
"I and Catholics around the world pray that the Orthodox Church of Greece will be sustained by the grace of God in continuing to build on the pastoral achievements of the late archbishop," the pope said.
Pope Benedict asked retired French Cardinal Paul Poupard, former president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, to lead a Vatican delegation to the archbishop's Jan. 31 funeral in Athens. The other delegation members were Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Archbishop Patrick Coveney, Vatican nuncio to Greece.
Under the leadership of Archbishop Christodoulos, who was elected in 1998 to lead the Greek Orthodox Church, relations between Catholics and Greek Orthodox improved remarkably.
The country's Catholic bishops called his death "a great loss for the Greek Orthodox Church and for the ecumenical movement," reported L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.
The statement issued by the Catholic bishops' conference of Greece called Archbishop Christodoulos a "great pastor" and an ardent supporter of Christian unity.
"We pray that the Holy Spirit will raise up a guide who is just as strong and profound," the bishops said. The Greek Orthodox Synod of Bishops must meet within 20 days of the archbishop's death to elect his successor.
Pope Benedict had sent a message to the archbishop in mid-September offering his prayers as the archbishop awaited a liver transplant in the United States.
In June, the archbishop had surgery for intestinal cancer, and doctors discovered he also suffered from cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. He flew to Miami in mid-August to await a liver transplant, but doctors discovered his cancer had spread to such an extent that the transplant was no longer possible.
He returned to his home in Athens, where he died.
During his December 2006 visit to the Vatican, Archbishop Christodoulos signed a joint declaration with Pope Benedict, pledging "fruitful collaboration," "dialogue in truth" and joint action to strengthen Christian values in Europe.
In their speeches to each other and in their declaration, the pope and the archbishop acknowledged how far apart their communities had grown over the centuries and how difficult their relations were, even as late as the 1990s.
END
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