The Hellenic Police Postgraduate Training School visits the Holy Monastery of Pendeli and the Interorthodox Centre.

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On Friday, May 30th, 2025, the Interorthodox Centre of the Church of Greece at the Holy Monastery of Pendeli, welcomed with great joy a group of students from Southern Greece and Cyprus from the Hellenic Police Post-graduate Training School, accompanied by the Second Lieutenant Ms. Konstantina Droumbali.
The Director of the Interorthodox Centre of the Church of Greece and Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Pendeli, His Eminence Metropolitan of Thermopylae, Mr. Ioannis, delivered a welcome address. During the visit, the police officers had the opportunity to be guided through the Catholicon of the Holy Monastery of Pendeli and to be informed in detail about the work, actions and mission of the Interorthodox Centre by the Scientific Associates of the Centre. Particular emphasis was placed on the Centre’s contribution to promoting dialogue between the Orthodox Churches, strengthening ecclesiastical education and preserving cultural heritage.
During the visit, the Centre’s responsible for security matters, Mr. Spyros Bitzas, provided a briefing on security and protection issues in places of worship. This was followed by a fruitful exchange of views among the participants on the preservation of cultural elements, the security of sacred relics and the management of the special characteristics of these places.
The visit took place in a climate of mutual respect and cooperation, confirming the Interorthodox Centre’s ongoing pursuit of contributing to the strengthening of the relationship between Church and society, with an emphasis on cooperation with institutional bodies and the promotion of education and security.
The Interorthodox Centre of the Church of Greece expresses its warm thanks to the Hellenic Police Postgraduate Training School for its interest and participation, as well as to all those involved in the successful implementation of the visit.

Free Speech or Free-for-All? Tackling Hate, Misinformation and Polarisation in the Age of AI

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From May 11 to 14, 2025, the Vienna Citizen Lab 2025, organized by DialoguePerspectives, convened 30 young European leaders, experts, and policymakers in Vienna to address the urgent challenges of hate speech, misinformation, and polarization in the digital era. Under the theme “Free Speech or Free-for-All? Tackling Hate, Misinformation and Polarisation in the Age of AI and Tech-Oligarchs,” the event featured interactive workshops, panel discussions, and hands-on training focused on the impact of social media algorithms, AI-driven content, and platform accountability on democratic values.
The programme included sessions on the amplification of hate speech and disinformation by algorithms, foreign digital manipulation, and the design of transparent and fair recommender systems. A highlight was the demonstration of the TWONy platform, an innovative tool for simulating online social networks, which allowed participants to experiment with different content ranking mechanisms and observe their effects on digital conversations. The event also featured collaborative policy prototyping, where attendees developed actionable recommendations to promote digital inclusion and democratic resilience across Europe.
The Interorthodox Centre of the Church of Greece was represented by Chief Coordinator Sergios Voilas, who actively participated in the discussions and contributed perspectives from the Centre. His engagement underscored the Centre’s commitment to safeguarding democracy and pluralism in the digital age and to fostering cooperation with European partners.