On Monday, March 9, 2026, Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium and Exarch of the Netherlands and Luxembourg visited the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Luc Frieden, and the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Claude Wiseler. Accompanying him were the Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne, Fr. Panagiotis Moschonas, the Archiepiscopal Vicar of Luxembourg, and the Archdeacon, Fr. Panteleimon Bakalis.
During the discussions with these two high-ranking political authorities, the presence and organization of the Orthodox Church in Luxembourg were extensively referenced. After providing a brief historical overview of the development of the Orthodox community in the Grand Duchy and presenting its current structure, the Metropolitan addressed several pastoral and organizational challenges.
The Orthodox Church in Luxembourg is experiencing remarkable growth. However, the 2015 agreement between the State of Luxembourg and the Orthodox Church no longer allows the church to respond fully to this development. We discussed this issue with Mr. David Del Nin, the deputy secretary-general of the government responsible for religious affairs.
In recent years, new Orthodox parishes have been established. In addition to Greek-, Serbian-, Romanian-, and Slavic-speaking parishes, communities have formed for newly arrived Ukrainians and Bulgarians. However, the current agreement provides no additional budgetary provisions for these new parishes or for replacing priests in existing parishes.
The Metropolitan also raised the possibility of organizing a pastoral ministry for Orthodox prisoners in the Grand Duchy’s prison.
The meetings took place in a cordial and constructive atmosphere. On this occasion, the President of the Chamber of Deputies permitted the Orthodox delegation to visit the parliament building and plenary chamber.
The Orthodox Church has been present in Luxembourg since the mid-20th century, gradually developing into a vibrant and growing community that actively contributes to the country’s religious and social life.
Thanks to the signing of the agreement on January 26, 2015, the Orthodox Church in Luxembourg now enjoys official recognition. The agreement recognizes four parishes: one Greek-speaking, one Russian-speaking, one Serbian-speaking, and one Romanian-speaking. The Church is represented by the Metropolitan of Belgium and Exarch of the Netherlands and Luxembourg of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The agreement replaces the Church–State agreements made in 1997 and 2004.
