On December 20-22, 2024, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) hosted an International Scientific Conference “Religion, Geopolitics and Human Rights. Protection and Security of Places of Worship.” Dr. Michaela Moravčíková, Professor at the SGMK College of Legal Sciences, took part in a panel on models of protection of religious cultural heritage and places of worship.
The conference is part of a series of scientific events entitled Religion, Geopolitics and Global Security, organized by the Theological Faculty of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The event brought together leading experts in the field of State-Church relations from Europe (Greece, Poland, Italy, UK, Belgium, Serbia), Asia (Kuwait, United Arab Emirates) and North America (United States). The main goal of the conference was to examine the impact of geopolitical tensions on the security of sacred sites, particularly places for the gathering of the faithful and worship. It also aimed to present best practices that ensure the protection and security of such sacred spaces.
SGMK Professor Dr. Michaela Moravčíková participated in the conference at the invitation of the organizers, giving a lecture “Restitution of Property between the Orthodox and Greek Catholic Churches in Slovakia. State interference as an example of good practice”. The lecture was part of the panel “Models of protection of religious cultural heritage and religious sites”.
In addition to academics, the conference was attended by representatives of government organizations, national and global security organizations, judges, senior representatives of the armed forces, representatives of local governments, as well as security analysts and university students. Each session of the Conference generated stimulating discussions and reflected on the latest manifestations of extremism and antisemitism. Examples of good practices in the prevention of negative phenomena related to multiculturalism and multi-religiosity were presented, as well as successful educational programs in this field.
