Ecumenical Patriarchate to address declining birth rates at Bioethics Conference in Crete

Declining birth rates and their wider demographic and social implications will be at the center of the 4th Bioethics Conference of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to be held in Rethymno, Crete, from October 2 to 4, 2026.

The conference will take place at the “Theomitor” Center for Social and Cultural Ministry of the Metropolis of Rethymno and Avlopotamos and will be chaired by Archbishop Makarios of Australia, President of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Synodal Committee on Bioethics.

The event aims to promote theological, scientific and social dialogue on declining birth rates and their long-term consequences for Greek society. Discussions will address falling numbers of births, population ageing, the increasing age at which people start families, socioeconomic factors influencing decisions about having children, and the possibilities offered by modern medicine.

Hierarchs, academics, physicians and other experts will examine the issue from complementary perspectives, focusing not only on its causes and consequences but also on possible responses and the Church’s potential pastoral contribution.

By bringing scientific knowledge into dialogue with bioethical and theological…