ATHENS, Greece, MAY 8, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Most Greeks support John Paul II's proposal for progress on the road to full unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, a survey finds.
In Greece, where the majority of the population is Orthodox, 56.8% expressed their support for the union of the Churches. More than half of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of John Paul II, following his May 4-5 pilgrimage to Athens.
In the survey, published Sunday in the governmental newspaper To Vima, out of a sample of 692 people, 56.8% said they "were in favor of an eventual union of the Churches," while 26.1% said they were opposed.
Most of those who said "yes" to union argued that the "differences between Orthodox and Catholics were not great." Another 17.1% did not wish to reply, or had no opinion on the matter, and 59.2% said that the Holy Father's visit to Greece was important.
Zenit - The World Seen From Rome
8. mai 2001