ATHENS - Pope John Paul will walk on the hill where Saint Paul preached to ancient Athenians next week, but some Greek Orthodox conservatives are protesting the historic visit of the "great heretic."
The Greek Orthodox Church broke with centuries of antagonism towards the Vatican last month, allowing the Roman Pontiff to realise his dream of following in the footsteps of Apostle Paul in Athens on May 4-5.
But the Holy Synod, the Greek church's administrative body, has angered many among the Orthodox by permitting, with whatever misgivings, the Pope to set foot in the country.
John Paul's visit to the mostly Orthodox nation of 11 million people will be the first by a Roman Pontiff since the Great Schism in 1054 divided Christianity into Eastern and Western branches.
The two churches still bicker over each other's influence in former communist states, especially over Balkan churches that worship in the Orthodox manner but owe allegiance to the Pope.
Some Orthodox bishops have decried the visit, religious groups are planning protest rallies on April 25 and 30, and anti-Pope posters have started appearing around Athens.
"We will never allow the great heretic, the Pope, the forerunner of the antichrist, to pretend he leads the planet's Christians in our country," Father Efstathios, president of the Union of Greek Clerics, told Reuters.
"Church bells will toll and flags will fly at half mast during the wolf's visit. Church fathers describe him as the two-horned and grotesque monster; he has falsified the word of God," he added.
PILGRIMAGE VISIT
Greek Archbishop Christodoulos, largely credited for removing long-standing obstacles to the Pope's visit, made clear the Greek church had allowed the trip purely as a pilgrimage.
"No praying together and no negotiating the truth of our faith will take place," he said in a sermon recently, urging the faithful to refrain from expressing religious fanaticism.
Greece's 200,000 Catholics may attend a speech by the Pope in a large stadium in an Athens suburb on Saturday, May 5.
Their spiritual head, Roman Catholic Archbishop Nicholas of Athens, told Greek newspapers Greek animosity towards Catholics stemmed from Byzantine times.
"When Orthodox speak of the Fourth Crusade, you'd think it was an event of World War Two," he told the weekly Athens News.
"The Pope is not responsible for any outrages committed by Catholics," he added. "Certainly, various Popes promoted the crusades to free the Holy Land, but the Pope is not responsible for particular atrocities."
The Fourth Crusade in 1202-04 sacked Constantinople and was seen as the first serious blow to the Byzantine empire before it fell to the Ottomans in 1453.
Pope John Paul will also travel to Syria and Malta, retracing the footsteps of Saint Paul who was converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus and travelled through southern Europe preaching the Gospel.
The 80-year-old Pope will visit the Arios Pagos hill under the Acropolis, where Paul, inspired by an altar dedicated to the unknown God, converted Athenians to Christianity in 51 AD.