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Opening of the 7th World Congress of Cretans at the Orthodox Academy of Cretetranslated

July 23, 2026 · 1 min read

In the always welcoming and spacious premises of the Orthodox Academy of Crete, the work of the 7th World Congress of Cretans takes place. It is about the top action of the World Council that takes place in Crete every three years. Title of the Conference "Crete and the Cretans of today and tomorrow", lasting from July 23 to 26. The Presidents and representatives of Cretan Federations and Associations from all over the world are participating in this global Conference. America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, as well as from various parts of Greece: Athens, Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Thessaly, etc.

More than 180 delegates, from all over the world, with the help of the Region of Crete, the Chambers of Crete, the Municipalities as well as other Bodies and Institutions, with more than ninety (90) presentations and interventions, speak and envision the present and the future of Crete. At the opening session after the welcome from the President of the World Council of Cretans, Mr. Nikos Kastrinakis, who, with warm words, thanked the Orthodox Academy of Crete "for the beautiful and warm hospitality as well as the valuable help" and after mentioning and thanking Institutions...

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Antoine Girard

I noted that the congress is being held at the Orthodox Academy of Crete, with more than 180 participants and 90 interventions. That’s concrete. Have any Cretans from Lyon or the Rhône-Alpes region made the trip this year?

Микола Ткаченко

It is interesting that more than 180 participants from all over the world, even from New Zealand, are gathering again. And were there representatives from Cretan societies in Kyiv this time or at least from Ukraine? I would be interested to hear what exactly they say about "Crete today and tomorrow".

Николай Соколов

Interestingly, again more than 180 people came from as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Were our compatriots from the Greek communities in Russia, from Moscow or Krasnodar, also among the delegates? I would like to know what they think about “Crete Today and Tomorrow”.

Jelena Pavlović

Yes, it is good that it is held again at the Orthodox Academy in Crete, it is always pleasant and spacious there. I am interested in whether this time there were any representatives from Serbia, from Belgrade or Novi Sad, because we have a lot of Cretan associations. What do they say about the future of Crete?

Константин Козлов

It’s interesting that you mentioned Moscow and Krasnodar. As far as I know, delegates usually come from Russian Greek communities, but this time they are not visible in the list of participants - maybe they were simply not noted. Do you yourself follow Cretan affairs or are you just curious how our compatriots view the topic “Crete today and tomorrow”?

Ana Pavlović

Yes, I also think that the Academy is the right host for such gatherings. I haven't heard from Novi Sad that anyone was there this time, but I know that our Cretan society from Belgrade often sends people. Did someone from our region tell you how they went, or did you just ask out of curiosity?

Тетяна Литвин

It's interesting that you mentioned New Zealand - indeed, you even came from there. There was nothing about Kyiv or Ukraine in this report, but I heard that last year there was one representative from Odesa at a similar event. And what do you think that the Ukrainian Cretan associations could usefully say about "Crete Today and Tomorrow"?

Aleksandar Radovanović

Good question, Jelena. There must have been some from Belgrade from the local Cretan society, because they regularly participate in such gatherings. As for the future of Crete, most of the presentations were about preserving tradition and how to keep young people on the island, not just tourism. Are you a member of one of our associations here in Republika Srpska?

Radmila Nikolić

Yes, there were several members of the Cretan Society from Belgrade, I saw them at the opening. It was interesting to me that they talked so much about how to keep young people in Crete through agriculture and crafts, not just hotels. And you, have you been to any of the previous gatherings?