Pope Francis' relationship with Greece - Visits and messages of solidarity

A chapter that has some Greek color to it, as Pope Francis had visited Greece twice, while on several occasions he had stood by its side in difficult times.

A typical case was the message of solidarity in the summer of 2023, when he had prayed for the victims of the deadly fires that had broken out in Greece.

“I pray for the victims of the fires that broke out in these days in the northeastern regions of Greece and I express my solidarity and closeness to the Greek people,” he had said characteristically to the faithful who had gathered in St. Peter's Square.

The historic visit to Lesvos in 2016 - "You are not alone, do not lose hope", he told refugees
Pope Francis' first visit to Greece took place in April 2016 and aimed to highlight the refugee crisis.

He had met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, and then-Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

“Keep your hearts and your doors open,” Pope Francis had said, among other things, thanking the Greeks for their hospitality.

Earlier, he had attended a lunch with religious leaders and refugee families, after their visit to the Moria hotspot.

“You are not alone. In recent months, you have been through a lot. You felt compelled to flee the war for your children. You have made many sacrifices for your families.

I came here with my brothers, simply to stand by you, to hear your stories. We want to join our voices and speak on your behalf. We hope that the world will respond in a way worthy of our common humanity.

We know how easy it is for some to ignore the suffering of others. However, such situations also bring out the best in us. The Greek people have responded to your needs with great generosity, despite going through a difficult time. You have seen it in the young people, people from all over the world who have come here to help,” the Pontiff said.

My message is, do not lose hope,” the Pontiff had told the refugees.

Pope Francis’ second visit to Greece - “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sacrifices”
In December 2021, Pope Francis came to the country again, returning to Mytilene to see the refugees again.

Standing before them, the Pontiff said with emotion:

“Five years have passed since I was here and, with a pang of soul, I realize that little has changed in the world. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sacrifices. I thank the people of this land and the local authorities who have not ceased to show humanity.

With bitterness we must admit that this country is being tested. And at the same time, in Europe there are those who look elsewhere, as if it does not concern them. It is tragic. Respect for the human person and their rights must be non-negotiable. The dignity of every soul must be put above all else.”

He spoke of the walls and fences that are being erected and said: “It is sad to hear of the commitment of common resources to build walls. We live in the age of barbed wire. They do not improve coexistence by erecting fences. It is easy to mislead public opinion by sowing fear of the other. We must overcome ghettoization and move towards integration.”

“Let us look at the faces of the dead children, let us find the courage to be ashamed. The Mediterranean is a great cemetery without tombstones. Let us not allow this sea to turn into a sea of ​​oblivion. Let us abandon this shipwreck of civilization. Faith demands compassion and mercy. This is the style of God. And tenderness,” Pope Francis continued.

Pope Francis had also come to Athens, celebrating Divine Liturgy in the central hall of the Concert Hall, which brought together thousands of Catholics from all over the country, saying the “I believe” in Greek.

“On this second Sunday of Advent, the Word of God presents to us the figure of Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel highlights two aspects: the place where he is found, the desert, and the content of his message, conversion. Desert and conversion: this is what today’s Gospel insists on, and this great insistence makes us understand that these words concern us directly. Let us accept both,” the Pontiff emphasized in his speech.

In addition, Pope Francis visited the Holy Cathedral of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite of 

Catholics.

“I am glad to meet you in a place that is a gift, a heritage of humanity, on which the foundations of the West were built. We are all, more or less, children and debtors of your country: without the poetry, letters, philosophy and art that developed here, we would not be able to know so many aspects of human existence, nor to satisfy many inner questions about life, love, pain and death,” he said to Bishops, Priests, members of Monastic Orders and Consecrated Life, Seminarians and Catechists of the Catholic Church in Greece.

On the last day of his visit to Greece, children of “Saint Dionysius” welcomed him warmly, holding Greek flags, while he was left ecstatic by the magnificence of the Acropolis.

Shortly before his departure, Pope Francis bid farewell to Greece with a quote from Aristotle: "A friend is another self."