EUROPE/GREECE - “Christians should not remain silent in front of the contemporary tendencies of some modern secularised states that try to impose on their people standards and values which are foreign to them, they should not give up witnessing to the values of the Gospel ” the highest authority of the Orthodox Church of Greece His Beatitude Christodoulos said at the 13th WCC Conference on World Mission and Evangelism

Wednesday, 11 May 2005

Athens (Fides Service) - The highest authority of the Orthodox Church of Greece His Beatitude Christodoulos Archbishop of Athens and all Greece in his address to more than 700 participants and the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism taking place in Athens, 9-16 May, voiced appreciation for the important event and assured those present of the “determination of the Orthodox Church of Greece to join forces with other Christians in dialogue and common witness, particularly in our day when from one end of the earth to the other, human beings are tortured at the social and political level”.
Continuing his reflect His Beatitude Christodoulos said that the growing impact of globalisation, opening of national frontiers and increase in human mobility from one place to another, put Christian witness in a totally different situation compared to the past: “Societies historically and traditionally mono-religious are becoming pluri-religious, Christian believers live side by side with people of different creed, race, tradition and language, they share the joys and tragedies of the same society, they intermarry and attend social and family events”. Faced with situations such as these “we must strive to safeguard our traditional Christian values, our spiritual identity, our creed”. He then underlined again that at a time when secular states, “disturbed” by the values of the Gospel try to relegate faith and its moral and social values in the private sphere, the Church is called to bear witness to the values of the Kingdom. At the same time he said that “The Christians, who are also citizens of modern societies, should not give up witnessing to the values of the Gospel and should not remain silent in front of the contemporary tendencies of some modern secularised states that try to impose on their people standards and values which are foreign to them.” .
In this perspective, Archbishop Christodoulos stressed that missionary attitude must be founded on love and nourished by love: Christ has conquered the world, he has destroyed the gates of hell with love, the love that led him to die on the Cross. Therefore love is the secret weapon which leads to the healing of memory and reconciliation of those who are distant. Therefore, he added, “the key and the way to healing and reconciliation are humility and love of God and of mankind”.
The plenary assembly today will reflect today on the subject “Called in Christ to be communities of reconciliation and healing”. The central conference will be given by Prof. Athanasios N. Papathanasiou, who teaches at the Higher Ecclesiological School of Athens who will offer an orthodox contribution to missiological dialogue on the theme "Reconciliation: major conflict of post-modernity”. (R.Z.) (Agenzia Fides 11/5/2005, righe 33, parole 436)


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