Pope Francis decided to donate to Greece three fragments of the ancient Athenian Parthenon temple, which were kept in the collection of the Vatican Museums.
According to the press service of the Holy See, this decision is “a sincere desire to continue the ecumenical path of bearing witness to the truth.” Fragments of the ancient monument “have been carefully kept for centuries in the papal collections and the Vatican Museums and have been exhibited to millions of visitors from all over the world.”
Recall that Greece has been seeking the return of fragments of the Parthenon for many years, most of which were taken to the British Museum in London, but so far without success.
The Acropolis with the Parthenon in Athens is the most visited museum in Greece. An area of 14,000 sq. m accommodates about 4,000 exhibits.