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OAK: Opening of the 2nd Conference of the International Observatory of Religious Fundamentalismtranslated

July 3, 2026 · 1 min read

The official opening of the 2nd Conference of the International Observatory of Religious Fundamentalism took place in the afternoon, Thursday, July 2, 2026, at the premises of the Orthodox Academy of Crete, in Kolymbari, Chania, with the theme "Fundamentalism and Protection of Religious Monuments and Sites". The event was attended by clergy and laity of the area, while the Holy Provincial Synod of the Church of Crete was represented by Rev. Metropolitan of Lampi and Sfakion, Mr. Joakim.

According to the Program of the Conference, the Greetings were preceded, first by that of the Regional Hierarch, the Rev. Metropolitan Kissamos and Selinos Mr. Amfilochios, who emphasized the importance of religious dignity and the fact that a holy place primarily signifies a way of religious attitude and life. This was followed by the reading of the Message sent by the Deputy Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Ms. Voloudaki, who congratulated the co-organizers for the timeliness of the Conference, and the Greeting of the Director of the Observatory's Scientific Council, Prof. AUTH, Mr. Petros Panagiotopoulos.

Subsequently, the start of the work of the Conference was announced by the President of the Board of Directors of...

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💬 Comments (4) 🌐 Show original

Sophia Bennett

Bishop Ioakim’s point about sacred sites embodying a way of life made me think of our St. Nicholas church in Wichita—how we’ve been praying for the old building’s roof repairs while keeping the bell tower intact for the neighborhood.

Анна Зайцева

Just as Sofia wrote about the church in Wichita, here in Novosibirsk on the street. Lenin also repaired the roof in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God, but did not touch the bell tower. Now the bell rings at 7 am, as before, and the children from the school on Lenin hear it first - as before.

Марина Комарова

In Nizhny, the roof of the Svyatonikol Church was also repaired, but the bell tower was not touched. Now the bell rings at seven in the morning, as before, and the children from the school on Herzen Street hear it first - just like you do in Novosibirsk.

Andrés López

Here in Valencia, in the parish of San Andrés, we also took great care of the bell tower when we fixed the roof three years ago. Bishop Amfilohios is right: the holy place is not just stone, it is how we live every day. Hopefully Congress will come up with practical ideas to protect these sites without them becoming empty museums.