The Church of Greece awarded 150 scholarships for the 2026–2027 academic year during a ceremony held on Thursday in the Great Synodal Hall, following the conclusion of the meeting of the Standing Holy Synod.
The scholarships were presented to 100 Greek students pursuing postgraduate and doctoral studies at universities abroad and 50 students from sister Orthodox Churches who will study in Greece.
Metropolitan Ignatios of Demetrias said that the Church of Greece is allocating a total of €800,000 to its scholarship program for the current academic year.
The 50 international recipients come from 15 countries and represent almost all of the Orthodox Churches. In addition to their scholarships, the Holy Synod covers the cost of Greek-language courses, accommodation and meals for the international students.
Addressing the recipients, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece placed particular emphasis on the presence of students from local Orthodox Churches and the contribution such exchanges can make to strengthening Orthodox unity.
“The unity of Orthodoxy is not an abstract concept, nor is it exhausted by institutional relations between the Churches,” Archbishop Ieronymos said.
Rather, he stressed, unity “is built every day through personal encounter, getting to know one another, cooperation and brotherly love.”
The Archbishop added that ties between the Orthodox Churches become stronger when people from different countries “pray together, study together, exchange experiences and learn to recognize in the face of the other not a stranger, but a brother.”
Photos: Christos Bonis, translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
