Department for Religious Freedoms and Interfaith Relations

The Department for Religious Freedoms and Interfaith Relations is responsible for:

a) Overseeing and monitoring the preservation and promotion of religious freedoms, as well as the lawful exercise and protection of the religious activities of members of the aforementioned communities against violations;

b) Fostering dialogue between the State and religious communities, as well as dialogue among the religious communities themselves;

c) Supporting international religious relations;

d) matters concerning the cultivation, strengthening, and preservation of the religious identity of the members of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ, the prevailing religion under article 3 of the Constitution, and of members of religious communities of recognized religions, through programs and initiatives that fall outside formal and non-formal education;

e) Developing and implementing initiatives to promote religious freedoms and interfaith relations, as well as to combat fanaticism, intolerance, and antisemitism;

f) Monitoring the work, texts, and studies of international religious organizations, as well as reports on religious freedoms issued by international organizations, states, or religious communities with global reach;

g) Organizing annual student competitions on topics that promote mutual respect among religious communities, combat fanaticism, intolerance, and antisemitism, and foster an understanding of Greece’s religious traditions;

h) Preparing the Annual Report on acts against religious sites in Greece;

i) Providing data and expert input to national and international reports and to international organizations on matters of religious freedoms;

j) Preparing memoranda of cooperation with governmental and non-governmental bodies;

k)Organizing conferences and other events related to the Department’s areas of responsibility;

l) Handling any other related matter.