EU Vice Pres.: As an Orthodox Christian, I cannot accept that Orthodox believers bombard Orthodox monasteries

The pandemic and now the war, indicate the need for joint initiatives and great European solutions, said the Vice-President of the Commission, Margaritis Schinas, according to his statement after his meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Phanar.

He stressed that “we will not succeed, each one of us individually, and there is no better way to adhere to this value of joint action, by being inspired by religious leaders in range of the Ecumenical Patriarch, who is also a living symbol of all the values of a united Europe, peaceful coexistence, tolerance, lenience, peace. These ideals are what we need now more than ever. ”

He added that they discussed “as to how at this moment, at this dark hour of war, Christianity, Orthodoxy, but also his own leadership can be part of a peaceful perspective from the conflict.”

“As a Christian Orthodox, I cannot accept that Orthodox believers bombard Orthodox monasteries, Orthodox convents, monuments,” highlighted the Vice-President of the Commission.

Source: ANA-MPA