Conference on human trafficking held by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Greece
On 4 and 5 February, a Panhellenic Conference was held in Athens, at the “Hellenic World” Cultural Centre, on the theme “The responsibility of humanity for the healing of society from human slavery. The ecclesiastical proposal, “From the slavery of sin to the redemption of the Resurrection”, is co-organised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, through the Holy Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, and the Church of Greece, through the Special Synodal Committee of the Church of Greece on Special Pastoral Issues.
The Conference was held under the presidency of His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, and His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Ilion, Acharnes and Petroupolis.
The Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrisochoidis, spoke about the phenomenon of human trafficking and the actions that the Greek Police have developed to combat it, while the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Kotsiras, also delivered a speech.
The essential goal of the Conference was for all participants to function as “conversation starters- informers” in the local Holy Metropolises, so as to disseminate the knowledge they will acquire, integrate it into their pastoral practice and mobilise parish communities to take action.
In due course, relevant and similar training sessions will be held in the local Holy Metropolises, at the pastoral discretion of the local Metropolitans, following consultation and cooperation with the competent Special Synodal Committee.
It is noted that the first meeting of the Joint Committee on the social problem of human trafficking, between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Greece, took place on Monday, 13 May 2024, in Constantinople. The meeting was hosted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate under the reverent blessing of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and took place in the Hall of the Hierarchs of the Patriarchal House.
