Pope Francis handed over to the government of Greece several statues belonging to the Parthenon that the Vatican had between its doors more than two hundred years ago. This event occurs in the middle of a fight that the European country maintains with the British Museum so that they return various pieces that belong to this millenary building. The fragments were carved by the ancient Greeks over 5,000 years ago.
The spiritual leader of Greece, the archbishop of the Orthodox Church of the region and head of this branch of Catholicism, Ieronymos II of Athens thanked his peer: “This act of Pope Francis has historical importance and a positive impact on multiple levels. My personal wish is for other people to imitate him.” The three fragments are heads of different statues, one of a horse, another of a child and the third of a man with a beard, which were removed from the peninsula in a very controversial way more than two centuries ago.
During the month of December, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church had told his peer that he wanted to donate to Greece and to the leader of the church of that nation: “A concrete sign of the desire that I maintain to continue on the ecumenical path of truth.” The head of the delegation that sent the microstate of the Italian peninsula to the european nation indicated that this decision “matured in the context of the fraternal relations that Francis has with the Orthodox Church.”
After this situation became public, leaders at the British Museum indicated that this donation was inspired by a religious reason and not by using a bilateral relationship that can be imitated elsewhere. This institution is in the midst of a controversy because several nations demanded that they return their cultural assets, which were obtained through colonialism.
Greece vs UK
For decades, the governments of both nations were in the middle of a constant fight over obtaining these pieces thanks to the then British crown ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, who at the time ruled in Greece.
From Athens they indicated that marble saws were used and, despite the fact that there were rumors that a potential agreement had been reachedit was Rishi Sunak himself, British Prime Minister, who indicated that no piece was going to leave the museum.
