Symposium Explores Christian Faith in a Multicultural World

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The history of the Church remains closely linked to the movement of peoples and encounters with different cultures, speakers said at the 18th Inter-Christian Symposium in Thessaloniki, which began today at the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki.

The Department of Theology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Franciscan Institute of Spirituality of the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome jointly organise the symposium, titled “Christian Faith in a Multicultural Environment”. The event reflects a long-standing collaboration between the two institutions.

This year’s symposium, which also marks the Franciscan Jubilee, focuses on the need for reflection so that diversity does not create distance and multiculturalism does not lead to fragmentation. Instead, speakers said, respect and love can turn diversity into an opportunity for encounter, mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence.

The discussions also highlight how the Franciscan spirit and Orthodox tradition can promote mutual understanding and a common Christian witness in response to contemporary challenges, including artificial intelligence and fundamentalism.

Welcoming participants, Metropolitan Philotheos of Thessaloniki highlighted the city’s long history of cultural encounters.

“Thessaloniki is a city that knows the meeting of cultures well, as different peoples, languages, religious traditions and cultural experiences have met here throughout its long history,” he said.

At the same time, the metropolitan noted that Thessaloniki maintains a living connection to the apostolic legacy of Saint Paul, who preached the Gospel in the city and honoured its people with two letters that form part of the New Testament canon.

Addressing the challenge of coexistence in the modern world, Metropolitan Philotheos said that encounters with people who are different no longer constitute an occasional experience but a daily reality. People of different origins, cultures and religious traditions now live together in the same societies, share common concerns and face common challenges, he said.

“In this reality, the Christian faith is called to offer its own witness — not through confrontation or imposition, but through the power of truth, love and freedom,” he said.

The metropolitan also stressed that the Orthodox Church, faithful to its apostolic and patristic tradition, understands its witness as an invitation to communion.

“The truth of the Gospel cannot be separated from love for the human person,” he said, adding that remaining faithful to tradition does not mean rejecting encounters with others, while dialogue does not require Christians to abandon their identity.

“Genuine dialogue requires people who know who they are, respect their interlocutor and have the humility to listen without fearing difference,” he said.

Elias Evangelou, president of the Department of Theology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, highlighted the substantive role of the inter-Christian dialogue that the two institutions have pursued for 18 years.

He said the partnership had created a stable space for dialogue that extends beyond academic communication and reflects the need for the Churches to meet, listen to one another and develop a deeper understanding of each other.

“Dialogue is neither a luxury nor simply a useful academic activity,” Evangelou said. He described it as “a path of responsibility” and a way to approach others not with suspicion or fear, but with respect, sincerity and love.

He said such an approach could transform diversity from a cause of separation into an opportunity for encounter.

Catholic Bishop and Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia Paolo Martinelli focused on the historical and theological dimensions of the movement of peoples.

He noted that the subject had attracted growing attention for decades, as multicultural societies raise questions about the life of the Churches, pastoral practice and missionary activity.

Martinelli said contemporary social and political realities increasingly involve the movement of people and the coexistence of populations with different cultures and traditions across large parts of the world.

He also stressed that the history of humanity involves the movement of peoples between settled and nomadic ways of life. The history of salvation and the history of the Church likewise involve movement, migration, encounters and interaction between different peoples and cultures.

Even Thessaloniki itself, Martinelli said, offers evidence of the mobility that has shaped the Christian faith.

The symposium continues tomorrow with sessions examining dialogue between faith and contemporary culture, the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, and the continuing relevance of the Franciscan message on the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi.

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