“The Religions and challenges of the new decade” was the topic of the 2nd International Conference on Religious Diplomacy, which was co-organized by the Theological School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens with the assistance of the Institute of Foreign Affairs.
On the first day of the conference, which took place online, in his message, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew stressed that “today we are experiencing the revival of religions as a dynamic spiritual movement.”
He added that religion cannot be pushed aside. The Ecumenical Patriarch called unsound the “outbursts of violence with ideological overlap with other motives”, while He asked for “religions to function as agents of convocation and cooperation, which is achieved through the dialogue of religions”.
According to the Ecumenical Patriarch, the goal of religion is to bring God’s peace to the world, while at the same time to condemn the violence that comes from morbid religiosity. For the Ecumenical Patriarch, the challenge is “the creation of a culture of solidarity, solidarity which refers to the Christian brotherhood and must become the banner of our time.”
“The Ecumenical Patriarchate will continue interfaith dialogues, the cessation of these initiatives serves dark plans,” He said, adding that the internet is often used to spread hatred and religious fanaticism.