A delegation from Ukraine was successfully hosted at the premises of the Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC) from October 24-29, 2023.
The Delegation from the Volyn Orthodox Theological Academy of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine was joined by the Rector Reverend Dr Volodymyr Vakin, the Delegation from the Volyn Orthodox Theological Academy of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine was joined by the Rector, Dr Volodymyr Volodymyr Vakin, the Vice-Rector for Research, Dr Konstantinos Marchenko, Lecturer of the Department of Humanities and Practical Studies and the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Zhydychyn and Protopresbyter Viktor Pushko, Head of the Press Office and Lecturer of the Department of Bible and Theology. The Delegation was accompanied by Dr. Konstantinos Zorbas, Director General of the OAC.
During their stay in Crete, they received Cretan hospitality from Bishop Methodios of Knossos, who welcomed them to the Archdiocese of Crete on behalf of Archbishop Evgenios II, as well as from Metropolitan Prodromos of Rethymnon and Avlopotamos and his associates.
The Ukrainian Delegation also had an interesting meeting with the President of the Patriarchal Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of Crete, Mr. Michael Stroumbakis, the Professors and the Administrative Staff. They were shown around the premises of the Academy and discussed in a climate of reciprocity and trust issues of cooperation between the three institutions at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
During their stay at the OAC, they had the opportunity to be informed by Mr Zorbas and the Foundation’s associates about the work carried out for 55 consecutive years as a Conference and Research Centre, as well as on issues related to the realization of mobility and training programmes for Ukrainian students in Crete.
They also visited the Holy Monastery of Chrysopigi, and the Holy Monastery of Gonia, and participated in the festivities for the feast of Agia Skepi, the national holiday of “OHI”, in the parish of Agia Marina Kolymvari and the Municipality of Platanias.
During the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation with OAC, the Director General thanked on behalf of the President of OAC, Metropolitan Amphilochios of Kissamos and Selino, for the special interest in cooperation with the Academy.
The Memorandum aims to develop academic and educational cooperation and promote mutual understanding between the institutions involved, through the exchange of researchers, students and doctoral candidates, as well as professors, scholars and other research and administrative staff, and the exchange of books, journals and copies of archival material, with available scholarships, grants and joint actions in relation to funding opportunities, co-organising scientific conferences, face-to-face or hybrid, seminars, fieldwork, ecological workshops, publications, and the promotion of all other academic cooperation.
The Memorandum comes as a continuation of the same effort with the Theological Academy of Kyiv (6-10 October 2023), to institutionalize a series of collaborations that has been underway for a long time, and is part of a more general theological pastoral programme with the central theme “The Orthodox Church facing contemporary challenges”, as well as other related ecclesiastical issues.
The participation concluded with the exchange of gifts between the Greek and Ukrainian sides.
