The event “Religious Diplomacy and Economy” took place with great success in Thessaloniki, within the framework of the “Money Show” Forum, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Patriarchal Foundation for Patristic Studies.
The event was opened by Ioannis Vikelidis, Director of the International Relations Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thessaloniki, who read the speech of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Bolaris. In his speech, the Deputy Minister pointed out the role of religious and ecclesiastical diplomacy and their relationship with the Economy. He focused on the social and economic policy issues of the Church network worldwide, the economic dimension in the functioning of Christian pilgrimages around the world, as well as the role of the Church in supporting citizens in times of economic crisis.
The speech of Metropolitan Elpidophoros of Bursa followed, in which he developed the “Ukrainian issue” as a case study on exercising ecclesiastical diplomacy that affects the relations of the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the Patriarchate of Russia and the other Patriarchates.
Thereafter, Spyros Litsas, Professor of International Relations at the University of Macedonia, spoke extensively about the impact of religious diplomacy, especially the Christian-ecclesiastical one, on international political and economic relations, and pointed out the different role played by each religion in the exercise of universal values and economic policy.
Finally, the dimension of the relation of Christianity to the environment and the alternative energy sources and the impact of this relationship on the economy was developed by Dr. Spyros Kiartzis, New Technologies and Alternative Energy Sources Manager for the Hellenic Petroleum Group.
Source: ANA-MPA