Originally published Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Greeks mourn popular Orthodox archbishop
Hundreds of mourners gathered Monday at Athens' cathedral to file past the remains of Archbishop Christodoulos, the first leader of Greece's...
The Associated Press
ATHENS, Greece — Hundreds of mourners gathered Monday at Athens' cathedral to file past the remains of Archbishop Christodoulos, the first leader of Greece's powerful Orthodox Church to welcome a Catholic pope to Athens in 1,300 years.
The charismatic cleric was often named Greece's most popular public figure but was also criticized as a reactionary. He died of cancer Monday at his home in Athens, leaving the race for his succession wide open.
Christodoulos, 69, was credited with reinvigorating a church seen as distant from its followers in a country where more than 90 percent of the native-born population is baptized into it.
Greece's Orthodox Church holds considerable sway among the world's Orthodox churches. Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I is the spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians.
Despite vigorous protests from Orthodox zealots who marched through Athens denouncing the pope as the anti-Christ, Christodoulos in 2001 hosted the late John Paul II — the first pope to visit Greece in centuries. The archbishop followed up in 2006 with a visit to the Vatican, where he and Pope Benedict XVI signed a joint declaration calling for interreligious dialogue.
Orthodox zealots supported Christodoulos, however, on one of his most outspoken public campaigns. His efforts to stop the government from dropping the religion entry from state identity cards saw him holding public rallies before hundreds of thousands of people in 2001. The church claimed that its petition campaign gathered 3 million signatures — more than a quarter of the population. But the campaign failed.
Christodoulos was elected church leader in 1998 and thundered onto the public stage, appearing on television and radio shows, visiting schools and hospitals, alternately fascinating and shocking Greeks with his fiery speeches.
"Clergymen are above kings, prime ministers and presidents," he once said.
Within months, he had expounded on everything from Greece's economy to relations with Turkey, leading some politicians to grumble about his apparent political ambitions.
A spate of scandals that saw senior clerics accused of embezzlement, involvement in sexual misdeeds and even trial-fixing in 2005 led to calls for his resignation. Christodoulos publicly apologized and defeated a no-confidence motion in the church's governing Holy Synod by a vote of 67-1.
But public criticism quickly faded after he was diagnosed with cancer of the liver and large intestine in June, and he was widely praised for the strength and dignity he showed during his illness.
The government declared four days of mourning, culminating in a funeral in Athens with full state honors Thursday. Election of his successor will begin Feb. 7.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 03:19 AM
Obama seeks equal partnership in Asia
NYC trial for 9/11 suspects poses risks
Fort Hood gunman contacted Pakistan, lawmaker says
Immigration on White House agenda

Opening day at Crystal Mountain
Skiers crowded the slopes at Crystal Mountain for one of the resort's earliest openings.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Seattle U. Men's Hoops | Big recruit goes from Huskies to Redhawks
- Razor found in muffin an accident, 'mortified' baker says
- Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
- Suspect's family shaken by slaying of police officer
- Mountlake Terrace woman reports razor in muffin
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
628 - Seattle man to pack a pistol into community center to protest mayor's ban
180 - Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
177 - GOP clueless as families struggle with health care
158 - ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
125 - KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
125 - Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
110 - Prosecutor weighs death penalty in police slaying
103 - Wright State game thread
96 - Person of interest in custody in connection with Greenwood arsons
93
- Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- Washington in race for federal education funds
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Goodwill's Glitter Sale is Nov. 14-15
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Boeing: 787 fix is complete on first plane
- Seattle U. Men's Hoops | Big recruit goes from Huskies to Redhawks








