ATHENS – At a conference on religious diplomacy, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece pursued some diplomatic damage control of his own, attempting with his words and interactions to reduce tensions both in Greek Church-State relations and in his relationship with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
He frequently used the word “dialogue”.
Speaking at a conference on the theme “Reflections on Principles of Policy and Proposals for Drafting a Strategy for Religious and Ecclesiastical Diplomacy” organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Ieronymos said, among other things, that “Orthodox theology and praxis puts forward dialogue as the necessary means for diplomacy.”
He also said that “the context in which so-called ecclesiastical diplomacy is described and practiced is also important. However, diplomacy is not the proper term; it would be better to refer to inter-church relations and cooperation when the interlocutors are other Christian churches, confessions and religions all over the world.”
Ieronymos added that “the role of the state is essential and useful, but it must remain within traditional limits; there must be discretion in the relationship, and it should not interfere with the free exercise and the spiritual purposes of each Church and religion, of which there are sad examples both in the past and present.”
Regarding the interfaith endeavors of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he said, “dialogue is of vital importance for the Church and under the coordination of our Ecumenical Patriarchate we can have tangible results, without perdition in the faith and doctrines of our Orthodox tradition, as has already been said by the joint communiqué of the Pan-Orthodox Council held in Crete in 2016.”
Ieronymos added that “in the Church’s practice we are not talking about diplomacy but about dialogue and cooperation. A dialogue, and cooperation with all. The only conditions are the Holy Bible and the Patristic Tradition of Orthodox life, always respecting the right of coexistence of different religions and cultures. Our aim is to establish peace which is the ultimate basis for progress and development of every society throughout the ages.”
On the other hand, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Bolaris emphasized there is a place for the secular even in inter-religious relations. He said at the Conference that “Churches can become valuable interlocutors in religious diplomacy, but our ambition in Greece and in Europe is to make humanity stand out as a standard of evaluation of everything that is happening in our lives. This is the great challenge for church and politics, for those who say they are interested in man.”
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