The Vatican donated three of its Parthenon sculptures to Greece

        FILE – A young man’s marble head, a small fragment of a 2,500-year-old Parthenon carving on the ancient Acropolis, is shown during a media presentation at the New Acropolis Museum in Athens, Nov. 5. , 2008 The Vatican and Greece entered into an agreement on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, to return three fragments of the Parthenon marble that have been in the collection of the Vatican Museum for two centuries. (AP Photo/Thanasis Stavrakis, file)
       ROME (AP) — The Vatican and Greece completed an agreement on Tuesday to return three sculpture fragments from the Parthenon that have been in the Vatican Museum’s collection for two centuries, the latest example of a Western museum complying with demands for their return.
        The Vatican called the return a universal “donation” to the Orthodox archbishop of Athens and all of Greece, and not necessarily a transfer between countries. But this continued to put pressure on the British Museum to reach an agreement with Greece on the fate of its larger collection of Parthenon sculptures.
        Cardinal Fernando Verges, head of the Vatican City State, signed an agreement to implement the “donation” with Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni and representatives of the Orthodox Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece in a private ceremony at the Vatican Museums. Jerome II.
       The Greek Orthodox Church and the archbishop thanked Pope Francis for the deal, special envoy Father Emmanuel Papamikroulis told The Associated Press.
        “This came at a difficult time for our country and will hopefully bring some pride and happiness. I hope others will follow this step,” he said in a telephone interview as he toured the Vatican Gardens after the signing ceremony.
       “This initiative really helps heal the wounds of the past and shows that when Christian leaders work together, they can solve problems pragmatically,” Papa Mikroulis added.
       The fragments are expected to arrive in Athens later this month, with a reception ceremony scheduled for March 24.
       The British Museum has for decades turned down a Greek request to return the much larger collection of Parthenon sculptures that have been the museum’s centerpiece since 1816.
       However, earlier this month the chairman of the British Museum said Britain and Greece had reached an agreement that the Parthenon marbles would be displayed in London and Athens.
       Most of the sculpture from the 5th century BC is the remains of a 160 meters (520 ft) long frieze that surrounded the outer walls of the Parthenon on the Acropolis and dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom.
       Most of the temple’s friezes and other statuary decorations were lost in a bombardment in the 17th century, and about half of the remaining work was removed by the British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century.