The journey of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in the Benelux countries began with the Ecological Conference.
In the context of the Patriarch’s presence in the Netherlands, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the Holy Metropolis of Belgium and the Exarchate of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, the “Free University of Amsterdam” organized a two-day symposium, on water. The principal speaker was the Ecumenical Patriarch, whereas other great speakers of the academic community also made a suggestion.
The Ecological Conference “Water in Times of Climate Change” began on Wednesday morning, November 6, and will end on Thursday afternoon, November 7, while during its program, in addition to the lectures, a canal tour was held on the canals of the city of Amsterdam on Wednesday afternoon.
At the opening of the Conference, the Ecumenical Patriarch was addressed by the Dean of the Theological School of the University of Amsterdam, Dr. Ruard Ganzevoort, the Rector of the University, Dr. Vinod Subramaniam, and Professor Dr. Caroline Nevejan as a spokeswoman for the City of Amsterdam and then the Patriarch’s opening address followed.
The following suggestions were accompanied by extensive discussions on the issue of environmental protection, regarding water, as a gift from God to the world, and concering its better management.
