The Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain on Friday, 2nd October, 2020 participated on a panel discussion themed, “The Power of Belief”.
His co-panellists were Margaritis Schinas, Vice President of the European Commission, and Fatima Zaman, Advocate, Kofi Annan Foundation and Farah Nayeri, Culture Writer, New York Times, who moderated the session and facilitated the discussion on whether religion and ideology hinder or act as guiding lights in a democracy.
Particularly, the Archbishop of Thyateira & Great Britain highlighted the importance of listening carefully to the message of God because as he said “very often we even us religious leaders listen to ourselves and we don’t hear the clear message of God, which is quite easy, it is summed up in love, peace, goodness, harmony and tranquility.”
The Archbishop mentioned that the common problem of democracy nowadays is the fact that many leaders lead people in the wrong direction because they are people that hear their own voices and not the message and the truth of God, which comes through Democracy, by hearing the voices of people, by sharing and understanding.
Archbishop Nikitas emphasized as well that no matter what religion each person believes in, it is very important in order to make the world a better place for the next generations that each one of us labours for the good and the truth. Concluding, the Archbishop said that religious leaders need to be open and that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is always open, prepared for dialogue and cooperation not only with the Orthodox but with other religious systems and traditions as well.
Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira & Great Britan on 2.44
