A seminar on the importance for Europe to protect Christian cultural heritage took place, in Brussels, on Tuesday and highlighted the importance of raising awareness on both material and spiritual cultural heritage.

The seminar was hosted by the Committee of Representatives of Orthodox Churches to the European Union (CROCEU) in cooperation with the Working Group on Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue of the European People’s Party (EPP), in the European Parliament, a press release from the Representation of the Church of Cyprus to the EU says.

“The seminar was attended by representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Moscow, the Patriarchate of Romania, the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, the Church of Cyprus and the Church of Greece as well as by Members of the European Parliament and other officials, academics, diplomats and representatives of religious organizations in Brussels,” it adds.

The seminar was held in two sessions entitled “the protection of monuments as part of the live European cultural heritage” and “the spiritual dimensions of the Christian heritage via education.”

“The conclusions that were made by the Moderator of CROCEU, Archimandrite Fr Aimilianos Bogiannou focused on the presentations and discussions during this seminar, which illustrated in poignant ways that the issue of Christian Cultural Heritage can be complex and multi-dimensional at the same time,” the press release notes.

“However, raising awareness and promoting the protection of both material and spiritual Cultural Heritage is of great importance,” it also points out.

The Orthodox Church confirmed “its determination for promoting and protecting Cultural heritage both in Europe and worldwide.”