Late Pope John Paul II…
A mourner attends a service for the late Pope John Paul II at Aghios Dionysios Roman Catholic cathedral in Athens yesterday. President Karolos Papoulias represented Greece at the pontiff’s funeral in Rome yesterday, which was also attended by Archbishop Christodoulos, the head of the Church of Greece. After the service, Christodoulos said that John Paul’s trip to Greece in 2001 had helped build bridges between the estranged Catholic and Orthodox churches. However, Bishop of Thessaloniki Anthimos complained at the Interior Ministry’s decision to fly flags at half mast at all public buildings as a mark of respect to the late pope, labeling it a ‘most devious’ move.
