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- Ελληνικά
The 31st General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IPA) was held in Palermo, Sicily.The House of Representatives was represented by the members of the Cypriot delegation to the IPA, MPs Mr.Panicos Leonidou (head), Elias Mirianthous and Marinos Moussioutta.
This was preceded by a visit of an IOA delegation, in which the Cypriot MPs participated, to Messini, Naxos and Tauromenio. Meetings were held with local state and ecclesiastical bodies, as well as with representatives of the Greek communities of Sicily. There were also presentations of the IOA's tribute volume entitled "Hagia Sophia: The Temples of the Wisdom of God around the World", at the Town Hall of Messina and at the Regional Assembly of Sicily, in Palermo. The proposed amendments were unanimously adopted by the Plenary Assembly. Ioan Vulpescu, Romanian MP, was elected as the new President of the IOA General Assembly.
A discussion was also held on the new role to be played by the IOA, based on the conclusions of an International Political Conference held in Thessaloniki last month on the theme "Politics as a space for the expression of Christian values in everyday life".
In his intervention, Mr Leonidou, noting the historical footprint of Hellenism, Byzantium and Christianity in Sicily, also pointed out the concerns of a significant part of European society about the orientation that the European Union (EU) should follow. He stressed the importance of promoting Christian values as an integral part of contemporary European identity in the Dialogue on the Future of Europe. Leonidou pointed out, however, that achieving this goal becomes even more difficult after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the absence of the necessary unity among the Christian peoples of Europe, which further highlights the value of the IOA's initiative to place Christian values among its priorities, seeking to develop partnerships with other institutions and organisations and acting as an agent of unity and promotion of high values, Leonidou added. This campaign of the IOA, Mr Leonidou noted, includes the signing of the appeal to the European institutions for the recognition of Christian values as a basic foundation of European integration. Mirianthous, in his intervention regarding the role of Christian values, stressed that the EU's failure to refer to one of the fundamental pillars of Europe is tantamount to its self-contradiction, at a time when Christian values and the basic principles of the Orthodox tradition, as essential elements of the European spirit, are at the core of the European project and European integration. These principles and values, Mirianthous stressed, answer, as far as possible, the existential questions and anxieties of today's society and modern man, especially in the European project of the coexistence of numerous diversities, languages, nations and peoples in Europe. The cultural richness of Christianity and especially of the Orthodox tradition, through its historical social ferment, belongs to the universal culture, concluded Mirianthous. It is from Christian values, said Mr Moussioutas, that the hope of preserving the memory and the roots that unite the countries and peoples of Europe springs. Particularly, he added, in the light of the increasing secularisation of society and the imposition of appearances over meaningful political discourse in the search for solutions to the everyday problems of today's individuals and society. In response to contemporary social issues, Mr. Moussioutas noted, the IOA consistently and dedicatedly promotes, on the one hand, the unity of Orthodoxy and, on the other hand, Christian principles in contemporary political space and parliamentary discourse. The impregnation of politics with the principles and values of Christianity and especially Orthodoxy and the promotion of their contribution to the shaping of the future of Europe are the highest goal of the IOA.
(The text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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