Greek church leaders hope to mark the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 by reviving the ancient tradition of the "Olympic Truce," under which armed conflicts were suspended during the sporting contests.
Some organizations want the truce to last for the whole of 2004 rather than just the duration of the games, which will be held in August.
An Orthodox church official in Greece said plans for the year would be outlined in September, while a Roman Catholic spokeswoman predicted the initiative could have particular significance for the whole Balkans region.
In a joint declaration on May 4 in Athens, Pope John Paul II and the head of the (Orthodox) Church of Greece, Archbishop Christodoulos, said that "wars, massacres, torture and martyrdom" had become a "terrible daily reality for millions."
The two church leaders promised to "struggle for the prevalence of peace throughout the whole world," as well as for "solidarity towards all who are in need."
"We are pleased to add our voice to the many voices around the world which have expressed the hope that, on the occasion of the Olympic Games to be held in Greece in 2004, the ancient Greek tradition of the Olympic Truce will be revived, according to which all wars had to stop, and terrorism and violence had to cease," the church leaders said.
A spokesman for Greece's Orthodox synod, Charis Konidaris, said his church and the Greek government had set up a joint commission, headed by Agios Vlasios and Metropolitan Ierotheos of Nafpaktos, to plan this and other initiatives for the 2004 Olympic year. However, he stressed that "concrete plans" for the Olympic Truce proposal would be published only after further work, including discussions with Roman Catholic leaders.
Maria Kutatsi, spokeswoman for Greece's Roman Catholic minority, said the Olympic Truce should also be viewed in the context of Greek attempts to mediate in the Balkans, and could be expected to have a "political impact" if jointly backed by churches.
"Our government has tried to play a visible conciliatory role in this region, not just because of its geographical proximity, but also in view of Greek traditions," Kutatsi said. "Of course, it's one thing to welcome the ecumenical aspects, and another to pinpoint the practical effects. But at a time when there's no cooperation between the churches here, a joint institutional effort for truth and reconciliation would be a definite ecumenical step forward."
The 28th modern Olympic Games are to be staged at a site overlooking Saronikos Gulf.
On May 8, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, president of Greece's Olympic organizing committee, said the center-left government of Costas Simitis was also backing the "peace through sport" initiative, and hoped the Olympic Flame would be paraded through at least 60 war-torn countries in the run-up to the games.
"Our hope and prayer is that this noble symbol, handed from person to person, will strengthen and embody the truce," Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said. "Working together, we will bring a momentary peace to the world and years of honor to our country."
The Olympic Truce was introduced more than 2,700 years ago to enable athletes from various parts of Greece to participate in the games unhindered. Military operations were temporarily suspended during the 30-year Peloponnesian War, which spanned several consecutive Olympic contests.
A spokeswoman for the Vatican's delegation to the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), based in Vienna, said several governments had "expressed an interest" following a reference to the proposal by the Vatican's permanent representative, Monsignor Leo Boccardi.
She added that all countries would be urged to mark the Athens Games with a one-year cease-fire, and said national liberation and insurgent groups would be urged to do likewise.
The former secretary-general of Greece's minority Evangelical Reformed church, Antoni Koulouris, said there had been no inter-church meeting to discuss the Olympic Truce proposal. But he said that some evangelicals believed their church should be involved. "The Olympic organizers believe it would be useful to combine the Games with a major peace-keeping drive," Koulouris said. "Since very large numbers of people will be coming here, besides the thousands of athletes, Christians believe it would also provide a good opportunity to preach the Gospel."
The official site for the organizing committee of the 2004 Athens Games does not have much on it yet except for press releases and a countdown till the Olympics (currently at 1,162 days)
An non-unofficial site actually has more information including a timeline of the history of Athens in the Olympics.
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