Orthodox priest chants “Pope, you are a heretic” in front of Francis of Athens

By Philip Pullella and Karolina Tagaris

ATHENS (Reuters) – An elderly Greek Orthodox priest shouted “Pope, you are a heretic” when Pope Francis entered the Orthodox Archdiocese of Athens on Saturday and was taken away by police to remind them of the mistrust between the two divided churches.

The video shows the man, wearing a black robe and black hat and a long white beard, shouting Greek words outside the building before police gathered.

Witnesses said he shouted loudly enough for the pope to hear the commotion. He appears to have fallen while the man was being taken away and was picked up by police.

Francis arrived in Greece on a three-day visit on Saturday, where Greek Catholics hope to bring the churches of the East and West closer together.

Christianity spread to the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches in 1054, in what is known as the Great Schism, and for centuries the relationship was rocky.

Beatitude Ieronymos II. in his address to the archbishop, Francis apologized on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church for his part in the historical wrongs that had caused the rupture.

“Tragically, we were separated in later times. We were poisoned by worldly worries, weeds of suspicion increased our distance, and we stopped feeding communion,” Francis told Hieronymus, whom he met on his first trip to Greece in 2016.

“I feel the need to apologize again to God and to our brothers and sisters for the mistakes many Catholics have made,” Francis said.

Pope John Paul II first apologized for his role in breaking up Catholics when he visited Greece in 2001.

Catholics and Orthodox have been involved in a reunion dialogue for decades and have collaborated on many social initiatives, but the two sides are still theologically far apart.

“We believe you have the courage and honesty to study your father’s failures and failures,” Jerome told Francis. “The best language among those who want to be called Christian brothers is honesty, and it always will be.”