The first meeting of the newly established Joint Commission on the social problem of human trafficking between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Greece The meeting was hosted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the blessing of Ecumenical Patriarch and took place in the Chamber of the Hierarchs at the Patriarchal Residence The meeting was co-chaired by Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain The Ecumenical Patriarchate was represented by Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain Senior Research Fellow at Cambridge University; and the gracious Ms Programme Officer for Theology and Studies at the Conference of European Churches (CEC) The Church of Greece was represented by Metropolitan Athenagoras of Ilion Deacon Nikodemos Malamatenios; and the esteemed Mr scientific collaborator of the Holy Metropolis of Ilion The working session of the Joint Commission began with an opening prayer by Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira described the primary goal of the Joint Commission emphasizing the importance of training clergy to identify victims and raising society’s awareness of the tragic reality about the prevalence of slavery and human trafficking During the proceedings of the first session particular emphasis was also placed on recognizing various aspects of slavery and human trafficking with a special focus on the need for a comprehensive understanding beyond sex trafficking Archbishop Nikitas emphasized the relevance of these issues to society and the overall responsibility and position of the Church in protecting human dignity and the human person The Joint Commission proposed the organization of seminars and conferences in Athens and policymakers on identifying and combating slavery and human trafficking a joint circuit was proposed to inform the Church’s faithful about the issue accompanied by the creation of a “toolkit” and a series of seminars to be delivered in five modules during Great Lent 2025 These sessions will incorporate theological and biblical perspectives using biblical narratives as parallels to contemporary slavery cases the Commission finally proposed the establishment of three conferences would offer a platform for victims of human trafficking to share their firsthand experiences the event aims to raise awareness through strategic collaboration with notable figures from various spheres and by leveraging social media platforms with the aim of amplifying the Church’s message and mobilizing collective action against human trafficking The main theological axis of the Commission’s discussions was the concept of slavery as a result of sin and the liberation from it through the message of Christ’s Resurrection The session concluded with a closing prayer by Metropolitan Athenagoras of Ilion the Patriarchate of Jerusalem solemnly celebrated the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women... Archbishop Elpidophoros of America celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Monastery of the Theotokos.. it was announced that two Roman Catholic institutions in Bavaria have decided to jointly.. A car once used by Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem is being transformed into a mobile.. the Monastery of Saint Vlash in Albania hosted a festal Divine Liturgy on the.. Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece presided over the festal Great Vespers at the historic.. (function() { window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { listeners: [] cb) { window.mc4wp.listeners.push( { event : evt callback: cb } ); } } }})(); © 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website These cookies do not store any personal information Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria and All Africa presided over the Matins and the Polyarchieratic Divine Liturgy along with Elder Metropolitan Gabriel of Leontopolis Bishop Prodromos of Toliara and South Madagascar; as well as Metropolitans Konstantinos of Monemvasia and Sparta Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Messinia addressed the Patriarch of Alexandria He thanked him for his honorable acceptance of the invitation to illuminate the celebration with his presence He also expressed the gratitude and joy of the Holy Clergy he wished the Patriarch the blessing of “Panagia Ypapanti” so that he may lead peoples and nations to the light of the Gospel “We welcome you as the Patriarch of traditions and love but also as the humble protector of Orthodoxy and Hellenism in the distant land of Africa welcoming you to a place marked by the struggles for the freedom of a nation inhabited by Philhellenes progressive and hardworking citizens,” he emphasized He also emphasized that in times of excessive divisive tendencies along ethnic lines the Patriarch always stands as a true brother defending the unity of the Body of Churches and is the person who knows how to love and honor everyone in times of hostility and ingratitude He concluded by invoking the patriarchal blessing upon his flock” Patriarch Theodore spoke about the holy image of the Most Holy Theotokos He expressed his deep emotion for his visit to Messinia after 32 years and asked Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Messinia The Patriarch responded by awarding Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Messinia the Medal of the Apostle Mark He also presented him with a hierarchical engolpion (medallion with an icon in the center) This was followed by a grand procession of the Holy and Miraculous Icon through the central streets of the city in which thousands of worshipers participated The HWBF and the General Hospital of KAT were accompanied by the Holy Metropolis of Ilion but also the essential participation of the Holy Metropolis in the overall effort General Hierarchal Commissioner of the Holy Metropolis of Ilion represented His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras He went up to the podium and with the calmness that governs him greeted the participants of the Conference Archimandrite Ioannis Raptis highlighted the modern face of the church listens to needs and concerns and can really help The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated every year on December 3rd and OSEKA and its clubs organize awareness and promotion activities for The Federation of Greek Basketball Players’ Associations (OSEKA) had a meeting with the Minister of Health The IBC Ioannina club celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities by hosting students from the 3rd Primary School of Ioannina (Maroutsio) at their The president and the board of directors of HWBF extend their congratulations to Mr Konstantinos Siahos for his election as president of the HSFPD A working visit dedicated to the subject of combating human trafficking was carried out on Monday at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The working visit was attended by the President of the Special Synodal Committee on Special Pastoral Issues and Situations of the Church of Greece The Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of Ilion the Director of the Youth Office and member of the Special Synodal Committee and the Assistant Professor of Medicine at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and member of the Special Synodal Committee Mr The Special Secretary for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum of Greece and National Rapporteur for Combating Human Trafficking who is also a close associate of the committee Metropolitan Athenagoras and the members of the mission were warmly welcomed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew who had extended the particularly honourable invitation to carry out the working visit and Metropolitan Athenagoras found the need to give an ecumenical spiritual dimension to the issue of combating human trafficking a phenomenon against which the Church must act dynamically protecting the victims of modern slavery and contributing by all means to the limitation and eventual elimination of this sickening social phenomenon it was decided in the immediate future to jointly plan and implement large-scale actions which will concern the clerical and lay members of the Church as well as initiatives to inform and raise public awareness of trafficking as well as horizontal actions of multifaceted support for victims both within the boundaries of the Church of Greece and in Metropolises of the Diaspora The Athens Metro is on track for a major upgrade with plans underway for several exciting expansions and improvements to better connect the city the most advanced project is the Line 2 extension to Ilion adding about 4 km and three new stations: Palatiani This project will also see upgrades to the Elaionas depot and the addition of an underground parking area Palatiani station will be located at the intersection of Thevon and Andreas Papandreou Streets while Ilion station will connect with future extensions on Line 4 Agios Nikolaos station will serve a scenic green area enhancing access to the surrounding neighborhoods the extension requires enhancements to the Metro’s critical systems including new equipment and software upgrades to ensure a seamless connection across Lines 2 and 3 The construction is slated to begin in 2026 with the new stations expected to open in 2031 Plans for Line 2’s future reach to Kamatero there’s an exciting proposal to extend Line 2 to Glyfada with three planned stations at strategic points in Ano Glyfada and along Vouliagmeni Avenue Further proposals are also being considered including a Line 4 westward expansion to Petroupolis a northern extension from Katehaki station to Marousi and the eventual development of Line 5 to connect with Haidari These expansions promise to transform Athens’ connectivity and accessibility bringing new transit options to residents across the city and beyond Athens is set to see its Metro system grow to meet the needs of a bustling and offering an eco-friendly way to navigate the Greek capital Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know 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