Strasbourg, 16 – 18 December 2024. Meetings in the European Parliament
Christmas Prayer Breakfast of the European People’s Party Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue
Christmas Prayer Breakfast of the European People’s Party Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue
The Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), Member of the Hellenic Parliament, Dr. Maximos Charakopoulos, visited the European Parliament in Strasbourg where he participated in the Christmas Prayer Breakfast, which was organized by the co-chairs of the European People’s Party Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue, MEPs, Ms. Željana Zovko from Croatia and Mr. Vangelis Meimarakis from Greece. The event was also attended by the Secretary General of the Commission of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, the Secretary General of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), Fr. Frank Dieter Fischbach, the Secretary General of the Committee of Representatives of the Orthodox Churches to the European Union (CROCEU) Fr. George Valcu, as well as MEP Mr. Hélder Sousa Silva.
In his intervention, the IAO Secretary General stressed: “We welcome the statements on behalf of the EU and in particular of the Vice-President of the Commission for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms. Kaja Kallas, on the necessity to respect the rights of minorities in Syria, including Christian communities. However, Europe, due to both its steadfast commitment to the defense of human rights and its Christian tradition, must not keep on only on issuing declarations. On the contrary, it must take concrete initiatives so that the Christians of Syria do not find themselves in an unfavorable position, following the new political situation that is being shaped in the country. In this context, the significant visit of the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to neighboring Lebanon, vastly contributed towards this end, where he realized meetings with the political leadership of this troubled country, as well as with the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Christians of the region, Patriarch John X of Antioch”.
Moreover, he underlined “the importance of this specific event in a Europe that seems to be losing its religious character, and where instead of “Merry Christmas” the neutral wish “Happy Holidays” is proposed, perhaps because it highlights that Christian values are one of the main pillars of the old continent”.
Mr. Zovko. MEP, in his statement he stressed the need for the EU to appoint a special envoy or commissioner for the protection of Christian minorities around the world, who will undertake substantive responsibilities and not just a symbolic position.
Following the event, the head of the IAO was invited to attend the special session of the European Parliament in the presence of the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms. Kaja Kallas on: “Toppling of the Syrian regime, its geopolitical implications and the humanitarian situation in the region”.
The IAO Secretary General had meetings with the MEPs of the European People’s Party (EPP) Mr. Andrey Kovatchev, from Bulgaria, and Loukas Fourlas, from Cyprus, and from the Party of European Socialists (PES) Mr. Dragos Benea from Romania. During the meetings, the head of the IAO underlined: “Peace and cooperation in the Balkans are of crucial importance in a time of intense turmoil in the international system, while horrifying wars are being conducted in the wider neighborhood. In this direction, the accession process to the EU of the countries of the Western Balkans, which we wholeheartedly support, will undoubtedly contribute positively, provided, of course, that they meet all the criteria, and primarily that of respect for human rights and the rights of minorities in the territory. This perspective also constitutes the strongest defense against any kind of revisionism and outer interventions that undermine Balkan unity.” Moreover, he stressed that “the common cultural heritage of the Balkan peoples and particularly of Orthodoxy, which was the guard for preserving our national identity during the centuries of Ottoman rule, is particularly important. Today, the Christian Orthodox are faced with the task of making a creative contribution to shaping the future of our common European home. All the more so, since some centers are emanating ideological concepts that seek to annul the Christian heritage of Europe. For this reason, the need for cooperation between Christian Orthodox parliamentarians at a pan-European level is imperative, in order to yield to common positions and proposals.”
During the discussions with the MEPs, the IAO Secretary General referred to the diverse activities of the IAO and focused particularly on initiatives to promote Christian values in Europe, and to this end he distributed to them the “Thessaloniki Appeal” that he co-signed with the heads of COMECE, CEC and the Together for Europe Organization in May 2024 in Thessaloniki.
He also informed the MEPs about the events planned in Brussels on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.
In addition, the IAO Secretary General, traveled to Paris where he met with the Permanent Representative of Greece to UNESCO, Mr. George Koumoutsakos, at the headquarters of the Organization. During the meeting, Mr. Charakopoulos emphasized: “In the context of the campaign conducted by the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy for the conservation of Hagia Sophia, we had the pleasure today of meeting with the representative of Greece to UNESCO, Mr. George Koumoutsakos, whom we informed about the activities we have taken recently, both for Hagia Sophia, and in general for Christian monuments that are in danger. At the same time, we requested an official briefing from the international organization regarding the outcomes that emerged from the examination carried out on the Church of Hagia Sophia, by teams of specialized scientists sent for this purpose to Istanbul. That is why we expect a meeting with the leadership of UNESCO in the near future.”
In the framework of the visit to Paris, the IAO Secretary General had a meeting with the Metropolitan Demetrios of France of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, at the headquarters of the Metropolis in the Cathedral of Saint Stephen. During the meeting, Maximos Charakopoulos informed the hierarch of the Ecumenical Throne about the activities and initiatives that the IAO has recently undertaken, among which those of utmost significance, for the protection of the Christians of Syria, who are in distress for their future, after the seizure of power by jihadist groups. Moreover, he referred to the effort to coordinate with other organizations in the EU to highlight Christian traditions and values in Europe, as reflected in the “Thessaloniki Appeal”, which was signed, in addition to the IAO, by the Commission of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and Together for Europe. The events for the celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, which are also planned to be held jointly with other organizations in Brussels and elsewhere, also fall within the same framework.