Interorthodox Centre of the Church of Greece

The International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Anglicans and the Orthodox met in Athens from 7 to 14 October 2022, hosted by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, at the Interothodox Centre of the Church of Greece of the Holy Monastery of Penteli.
The Commission is grateful for the hospitality and welcome received on behalf of Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All of Greece and Metropolitan Ioannis of Thermopylae, Abbot of Penteli Monastery.
The Commission has launched discussions on organ donation and intends to continue examining this issue at its next meeting.
As in previous meetings, the Commission’s work was based on daily prayer and worship. The members of the Committee attended the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Monastery of Penteli, where they remembered the life and contribution to the Dialogue of the former members of the Committee who died this year, the late Metropolitans Kallistos of Dioclea, and Ilia of Philomelion.
The Committee visited the Anglican Church of St. Paul in Athens where they were received by the Head, Canon Leonard Doolan, and the British Ambassador to Greece, Matthew Lodge. The Commission also visited the seat of the Archdiocese of Athens, where they were welcomed by Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All of Greece.

GERIS Network members visited Morocco to learn about how religious pluralism is managed in the local context. The purpose of the visit was for the participants to hold interactive discussions with local stakeholders, explore local projects and learn best practices. GERIS exchange visit is focusing on “Diversity through Education: Fostering pluralism and respect for diversity through education”.
On behalf of the Interorthodox Centre, Mr. Sergios Voilas, the permanent scientific associate participated in the visit which took place in Morocco from the 29th of May until the 5th of June 2022.
Global Exchange on Religion in Society (GERIS) is a two-year project of networking, societal capacity building and social media engagement. The project aims to contribute to social inclusion and societal resilience by setting up a global community-based exchange initiative. Through this action, the European Union is setting up a network of civil society actors, whether secular or faith based, to connect their experiences of coexistence among people of different faiths, and none, in societies across the globe.  Through the creation of GERIS Network, the EU also wants to explore a specific model for engaging these actors working on a range of societal issues. The project objective is building an exchange platform to contribute to the global conversation on diversity, coexistence, and social inclusion in society, on civic engagement and a more active, participatory, and shared sense of citizenship across boundaries of belief and worldviews”.  

Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and Interorthodox Centre of the Church of Greece co-hosted an interfaith Zoom dialogue featuring a panel of Greek Orthodox and Jewish clergy discussing the theology of “returning,” as it relates to the holidays of Easter and Passover.

Speakers included his Eminence Metropolitan Ioannis of Thermopylae, Director of the Interorthodox Centre, Chief Rabbi of Athens Gabriel Negrin, Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin of Temple Israel in Florida, Rabbi Daniel Polish of Congregation Shir Chadash in New York, Chief Coordinator of the Interorthodox Centre Mr. Sergios Voilas, Scientific Assistant of the Interorthodox Centre Dr. Christos Nasios, and CAM Partnerships and Diplomatic Outreach Coordinator Ms. Catherine Szkop. His Eminence Metropolitan of Messinia Mr. Chrysostomos was not able to participate live and Mr. Sergios Voilas presented the speech His Eminence had prepared.

The Christian and Jewish communities both emphasize the “return” to religious practice and celebrate emancipation on Easter and Passover, albeit through different beliefs and customs.

The panel participants discussed this, as well as the connections between Easter and Passover and Pentecost and Shavuot.

A full recording of the event can be viewed here:

On Wednesday the 23rd of March 2022 we had the pleasure to meet and
welcome the first official delegation of the Combat Antisemitism Movement at our premises at the Interorthodox Centre of the Church of Greece. CAM Senior Advisor and Center for Jewish Impact Chairman Robert Singer and CAM Partnerships and Diplomatic Outreach Coordinator Catherine Szkop CAM met with His Eminence Metropolitan Ioannis of Thermopyle, Director of the Interorthodox Centre, alongside with the
scientific team consisted of Christos Nasios and Kalliopi Mavragka.

The agenda was focused on the importance of education in the fight against antisemitism, as well as the need for person-to-person encounters to familiarize young Greeks with members of the Jewish
community. The CAM delegation expressed their deep gratitude to the Interorthodox Centre of the Church of Greece for its commitment to building bridges between the Hellenic and Jewish peoples, and their
anticipation for a meaningful relationship between the two organizations moving forward, something that will benefit the collective effort against Jew-hatred.

We look forward to future collaboration and joint projects!

In December 2021 a unique educational program took place. Yahad in Unum’s final teacher training seminar of the year occurred in collaboration with the Mémorial du Camp de Rivesaltes in southern France. 10 European educators who have already participated in Yahad in Unum teacher training programs were reunited for a unique seminar with Yahad researchers, focused on workshops on the practical uses of Yahad educational tools and discussions on different innovative teaching methods. On behalf of the Interorthodox Centre of the Church of Greece Sergios Voilas participated and shared with the other researchers the effort that the Interorthodox Centre makes, among other, all the past years in order to raise awareness on matters concerning Antisemitism and hate speech phenomena.