Monday March 5 12:18 PM ET
Greek Church to Debate Pope's Visit This Week

ATHENS, Greece (Reuters) - The conservative Greek Orthodox Church will debate this week whether to extend a religious welcome to Pope John Paul II this spring in what would be the first visit by a pontiff to Greece.

``It will probably be discussed tomorrow or the day after,'' said Bishop Efstathios, a spokesman for the Holy Synod, the Greek church's governing body.

Archbishop Christodoulos offered a grudging welcome to the pope, who wants to visit Greece as he follows the trail of the apostle Paul, during an interview with the church radio Sunday.

``Of course, if he wants to come, our door is open. We will not refuse,'' Christodoulos said.

But he made clear that the invitation came from the Greek state and that the Holy Synod would give the Greek church's official position. President Costis Stephanopoulos extended an official invitation during a visit to the Vatican in January.

``He is not asking for our invitation. It has been secured from the Greek government. It appears enough for him. What he is asking us for is our opinion, whether he can make the trip without causing us problems,'' Christodoulos said.

The pope plans to travel to Syria and Malta in late April or May to follow the footsteps of Paul, who was converted on the road to Damascus and traveled through southern Europe, including Greece, preaching the gospel.

Predominantly Orthodox Greece has a tiny Roman Catholic minority.

The two churches have been split since the Great Schism in 1054 divided Christianity into Eastern and Western branches. They have bickered in recent years over each other's influence in former communist countries.

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