The role of Mount Athos in diplomacy is stronger than that of NATO and the UN

The Metropolitans of Didymoteicho and Alexandroupolis, Damaskinos and Anthimos, and the Civil Governor of the Athonite State, Alkiviadis Stefanis, speak to “Orthodoxi Alitheia” about religious policy and international relations, on the occasion of a recent event in Thrace

By SOTIRIS LETSIOS

“Mount Athos is the bulwark of our Orthodoxy and its Beacon. It is a workshop of holiness and love, but also a pillar of strength.” So states the Civil Governor of Mount Athos, Mr. Alkiviadis Stefanis, speaking to “Orthodoxi Alitheia” following his recent lecture in Alexandroupolis on the role the monastic state of Athos plays today.

More specifically, the important and enduring role of Mount Athos worldwide has come back into the spotlight on the occasion of Mr. Stefanis’s lecture at the Spiritual Center of the Metropolis of Alexandroupolis. Before a large audience, Mr. Stefanis developed the topic “Religious Diplomacy and Mount Athos,” and the warm response of those present confirmed the keen interest of the local community in issues linking the Orthodox spiritual tradition with contemporary international developments.

Referring to the conditions prevailing internationally today,…