The three fragments of the metopes, the frieze and the pediment of the Parthenon, returned to Greece from the Vatican Museums, were put back in their place.
The return of the fragments followed an agreement signed on March 7, 2023 at the Vatican Museum between the representatives of the Pope and the Archbishop, which provided for the handover of the sculptures to the representative of the Archbishop and then to the director of the Acropolis Museum.
Prior to the ceremony, a Vatican delegation was in Greece and met with the Archbishop of Athens Hieronymos. Welcoming the members of the Vatican delegation, Archbishop Hieronymos expressed his emotion and joy at the transfer of the three fragments from the Vatican Museums to the Acropolis Museum.
The Archbishop stressed that "the events we will witness today have filled the hearts of all Greeks with joy. The heroic decision of the Primate of the Roman Catholic Church to donate a treasure that may not seem great, but is the greatest gift for all of us, leaves us in gratitude. The Acropolis Hill and the Parthenon Temple are points that 'shake' the history and the path of every person in this place" he said. He once again expressed his emotion at Pope Francis' gesture for the return of the fragments, adding, "We especially appreciate the decision of the Roman Catholic Church to offer the fragments to the Church, which we as willingly gave to the Greek state, for display in the Acropolis Museum".
The delegation is led by Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Vatican Commission for Promoting Christian Unity, and includes the commission's undersecretary, Father Andrea Palmieri, Professor Dr. Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums and Archbishop Jan Romeo Pawlowski, Vatican nuncio to Greece. Also present were the principal secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, Bishop Filotheos of Oreoi, Evia the proto-secretary of the Archdiocese, Archimandrite Varnavas Theoharis, the general hierarchical commissioner, Archimandrite Iakovos Andriopoulos, the staff member of the Synodal Committee for Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations, Father Emmanuel Papamikroulis, and Archdeacon Father Ioannis Boutsis.
The head of the Delegation, Bishop Brian Farrell, brought greetings from Pope Francis and noted the special symbolic value of the fragments provided by the Vatican Museum. "It is true that one could not have imagined how much joy this initiative would bring to the Greek people, and we are deeply moved to participate in this historic event," noted the bishop, adding, "The value of contacts between the Churches is the most important thing. And I also want to emphasize the desire to be protagonists and representatives of the idea of cooperation between us".
