The delegation included Dr Maximos Charakopoulos, Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy general secretary and member of the Greek Parliament, Marinos Moushoutis, member of the Cypriot Parliament, and Dr Costas Mygdalis, Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy advisor. Discussions covered religious freedom, fundamentalism, artificial intelligence, climate change, and the role of Christian values in contemporary society. The Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy emphasized its collaboration with European ecumenical organizations—such as the Conference of European Churches and the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, and the organisation Together for Europe—in urging European political bodies to recognize Christian values as foundational while opposing the misuse of religion for nationalist agendas. WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay affirmed alignment with these priorities, highlighting the WCC’s efforts on addressing religious freedom, religious fundamentalism and violence, artificial intelligence, human rights, and human dignity. He noted the WCC’s ongoing work with member churches, ecumenical partners, nongovernmental organizations, people of other faiths, and political bodies to address these issues on an intersectional level, upholding Christian values in today’s political and social landscape. The Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy leadership also outlined their work, with special emphasis on the project “Hagia Sophia: Churches of the Wisdom of God in History and the World,” which featured international photo contests. This initiative highlights the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople along with 36 other historic churches across the globe, from Scotland to China. The Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy discussed concerns about the Hagia Sophia’s conversion. Inaugurated in AD 537 by emperor Justinian, it became a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453, a museum in 1934 under Turkey’s secular reforms, and was re-designated as a mosque in 2020, despite its UNESCO World Heritage status. The Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy has been the sole interparliamentary body actively addressing this reconversion and continues to advocate for preserving religious monuments, linking them to human dignity. The destruction of Christian monuments, which are UNESCO heritage, and cemeteries in occupied Cyprus, was also mentioned. The WCC expressed its shared concern, referencing a letter sent to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in which the WCC conveyed its grief and dismay over the Hagia Sophia’s conversion. The WCC general secretary also referred to other places in the world where Christian monuments and symbols have been destroyed or are at risk. The WCC general secretary commended the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy for working on very important matters, especially pertaining to Christian values and religious freedom and expressed a willingness for collaboration in these areas.
Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy Photo gallery | 
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