In ecumenical nod, Pope returns Greece’s Parthenon Sculptures

Pope Francis, photographed at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican in December 2021. On December 16, the Vatican announced that the pope had decided to return three fragments of the Parthenon Sculptures, held for centuries by its museums, as an ecumenical gesture honoring the archbishop of Greece. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Quirinale.it.
Pope Francis, photographed at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican in December 2021. On December 16, the Vatican announced that the pope had decided to return three fragments of the Parthenon Sculptures, held for centuries by its museums, as an ecumenical gesture honoring the archbishop of Greece. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Quirinale.it.
Pope Francis, photographed at the Apostolic Palace in December 2021. On December 16, the Vatican announced that the pope had decided to return three fragments of the Parthenon Sculptures, held for centuries by its museums, as an ecumenical gesture honoring the archbishop of Greece. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Quirinale.it.

VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis has decided to send back to Greece the three fragments of Parthenon Sculptures that the Vatican Museums have held for centuries, the Vatican announced on December 16.

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British Museum reportedly in talks with Greece re: Elgin Marbles

Part of the group of ancient Greek sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles, aka the Parthenon Sculptures, photographed on display at the British Museum in August 2006. On December 3, a Greek newspaper claimed that museum officials and the Greek prime minister had conducted secret talks regarding the possible return of the sculptures. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Urban. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
Part of the group of ancient Greek sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles, aka the Parthenon Sculptures, photographed on display at the British Museum in May 2014. On December 3, a Greek newspaper claimed that museum officials and the Greek prime minister had conducted secret talks regarding the possible return of the sculptures. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Carole Raddato. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
Part of the group of ancient Greek sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles, aka the Parthenon Sculptures, photographed on display at the British Museum in May 2014. On December 3, a Greek newspaper claimed that museum officials and the Greek prime minister had conducted secret talks regarding the possible return of the sculptures. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Carole Raddato. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

LONDON (AP) – The British Museum has pledged not to dismantle its collection, following a report that the institution’s chairman has held secret talks with Greece’s prime minister regarding the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles. The report by the Greek newspaper Ta Nea is the latest twist in the long-running dispute centering on the ownership of the ancient sculptures, which originally stood on the Acropolis in Athens and have been part of the British Museum’s collection since 1816.

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