Abstract
This article focuses on the political mobilisation of Orthodox churches in the making of the European Union from the 1950 Schuman Declaration until today. It examines the first contacts between Orthodox churches and European institutions, the structure of religious dialogue, policy areas of Orthodox engagement in the European Union, and competing visions of Europe in the Orthodox commonwealth. It argues that the response of Orthodox churches to the institutionalisation of religious dialogue in the European Union (Article 17 of the Lisbon Treaty) is comparable to that of other religious communities. However, the political mobilisation of Orthodox representations in Brussels advances a geopolitical and civilisational dimension which places the Eastern Orthodox world as a competitor to the secular West.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 146-157 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 2-3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 22 Jan 2019 |
Bibliographical note
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church on 22 Jan 2019, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1474225X.2018.1504598Keywords
- Charta Oecumenica
- Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE)
- Committee of Representatives of Orthodox Churches to the European Union (CROCEU)
- Conference of European Churches (CEC)
- Eastern Orthodoxy and secular West
- Orthodox engagement in the EU
- Symphonia
- World Council of Churches (WCC)
- ‘Soul for Europe’