Pope Francis renews Great Schism apology

Pope Francis met with Archbishop Ieronymos, the head of Greece's Orthodox Church, on his first day in Athens. He asked him to forgive the mistakes committed by Catholics toward the Orthodox Church.

In 2001, Pope John Paul II became the first Catholic leader to visit Greece in more than 1,200 years and he used the occasion to beg forgiveness for the sins of Catholics against Orthodox over the centuries. Francis' visit 20 years later is meant to continue the path of healing of Catholic-Orthodox ties, still wounded by the Great Schism that divided Christianity. 

Orthodox churches are also seeking alliances amid a deepening dispute over the independence of the Ukrainian church, which was historically governed by the Russian Orthodox Church.