Pope praises Greece's role: "Democracy was born here"

Pope Francis, during his visit to Greece, praised the political achievements, and also warned against the enemies of democracy.

"Democracy was born here," the pope said in Athens on Saturday, after the country's president, Katrina Sakellaropoulou, welcomed him.

"From the cradle, after a thousand years later, a house was erected, a wonderful home for the peoples of democracy: I refer to the European Union and to the dream of peace and brotherhood which it represents to so many peoples," he said.

The Pope arrived in Greece this morning, the second leg of a five-day tour in the eastern Mediterranean, preceded by a visit to Cyprus.

The head of the Catholic Church emphasized the pivotal role of Greece in history, in his speech replete with references to classical authors, thinkers and scholars of antiquity such as Homer, Aristotle and Hippocrates.

"Without Athens and Greece, Europe or the world would not have been what they are now: they would have been less wise and less happy," the Pope said.

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