Greece asks others to 'imitate' Vatican return of Parthenon pieces

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill, during snowfall in Athens, Greece, February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican Museums gave Greece three 2,500-year-old pieces of the Parthenon on Tuesday and the Greek side said the gesture should be imitated by others, a likely reference to a collection of sculptures from the ancient temple that are held by Britain.

The fragments have been in the papal collections of the Vatican Museums for more than a century and Pope Francis ordered their return last December.