It was a sunny spring afternoon when the Vatican’s vintage, dove-white Alitalia plane landed smoothly on the island of Lesvos. Marching down the steps to the tune of a Greek military band, Pope Francis was received by the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew, and Ieronymos, Archbishop of Athens—and also by Greece’s devoutly atheist Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras. The charismatic premier was not (just) seeking to increase his stature among the humanitarian jet set. His government had arranged this April 16 visit to the refugee-packed island at a time when Brussels was pushing Greece to improve its migrant-handling capacities, after the European …read more
Source: The American Interest
