Salutation

The representation of the Church of Greece in the European Union is a particularly demanding and exciting task at the same time. Cooperation with the representatives of the Churches and religious communities poses significant challenges in itself at a time of various socio-economic problems, which often take on a cultural form with a strong religious, among other things, character. We are in an era of Europe’s march towards the evangelized integration, however it is unknown how many really feel that such an undertaking is necessary to be based on the reconciliation of the peoples and their Churches, as well as on the acceptance of every person on the planet as an entity that has a right to dignity and in everyday well-being. The Orthodox Church perceives its purpose as spiritual and cultural and seeks to continuously contribute to the formation of conditions of peace, reconciliation and cooperation among nations, states and their peoples, so that it can carry out its humanitarian work in a spirit of compassion and respect for the human person. He fights at the same time for the dissemination and consolidation of the message that the intentional as well as the negligent destruction of creation is against the word of God. Nevertheless, it is constantly taking on larger and larger dimensions and costs expatriates, injuries and deaths.

Being aware of such a critical task and respecting the long-term work of his predecessor, His Eminence Metropolitan of Achaia Mr. Athanasios, worthy of follow-up, the writer, from the position of the new Director of the Office of the Representation of the Church of Greece in the European Union, feels the profound obligation to thank from the bottom of his heart the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Ieronymos B’, as well as the Permanent Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, for the honor they have shown him and the trust they have shown him. It is completely identified with the Archbishop’s conviction and exhortation that “theology constitutes the essence of our life“, and such is its nature and practice that it does not show cowardice or evade the challenges of the times , since indeed it has the duty to “lead and pioneer, create cracks and open new paths for everyone”.The office of the Delegation of the Church of Greece in Brussels is such a vehicle on the avenue of challenges of the globalized reality, with the aim and orientation of fully empathetic listening to the issues that concern Europe today and the bodies that express them. Solving the problems of our time and implementing sustainable solutions for the future of humanity cannot go hand in hand with introversion and isolation, nor with xenophobia and entrenchment.

Apostolos, Bishop of Tanagra