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Article: A papal bridge too far?(Pope John Paul II promotes peace)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Christian Century
- Article date:
- May 23, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The Christian Century Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A WEAK AND AILING Pope John Paul II is determined to use much of his remaining energy to build bridges, but critics faulted his recent dramatic gestures to the Greek Orthodox Church and to Islam as overreaching.
The Catholic pontiff returned home May 9, nine days before his 81st birthday, from a pilgrimage "in the footsteps of St. Paul" to Greece, Syria and Malta that saw him offer an apology to Greek Orthodox leaders for the past sins of Catholics and become the first pope to enter a mosque. The Vatican publicly voiced satisfaction with the trip, but some inside the Vatican reportedly questioned the need for the apology in Athens and contended that the pope was ...