St. Andrew goes to Greece

From Zenit:

"A Vatican official turned over a relic of the Apostle Andrew to a representative of Greek Orthodox Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, who had requested it. Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, retired president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, gave the relic to Greek Orthodox Bishop Agathangelos on Sunday during a ceremony at Transfiguration Parish in Rome. The donated relic will be taken to Athens this week and displayed for veneration by the faithful in the Orthodox Church of St. Barbara. Since 1208, the relics of the apostle have rested in the crypt of the cathedral of Amalfi. They were taken there from Constantinople.

Archbishop Orazio Soricelli agreed to give a relic as a sign of rapprochement between the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches. Cardinal Etchegaray handed over the relic in a case, which Bishop Agathangelos, director general of the Apostoliki Diakonia, kissed and showed to the faithful. In turn, Bishop Agathangelos, who is heading a delegation of Greek students visiting Rome, gave an icon to Cardinal Etchegaray and another depicting the Transfiguration to the rector of the parish church.

The Orthodox bishop said that the Greek delegation had come to Rome "as pilgrims to kneel before the tombs of the Apostles" and added that "in this splendid Church of the Transfiguration we feel the strength of the faith and see the faces of the faithful united with us."