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==Conclusions of the Inter-Orthodox Consultation on the Draft Constitutional Treaty of the European Union (Herakleion, Crete, 18-19 March 2003)==
The undersigned representatives of European Orthodox Churches, gathered in Herakleion of Crete on the 18 and 19 of March 2003, on the invitation of His All Holiness, the [[Ecumenical Patriarch]], and were hosted by the Holy Provincial [[Synod]] of the [[Orthodox Archdiocese of Crete|Church of Crete]]. The Liaison Office of the Orthodox Church to the European Union, under His Eminence, [[Metropolitan]] [[Emmanuel (Adamakis) of France|Emmanuel]] of [[Greek Orthodox Metropolis of France|France]], was responsible for the organization of the Conference. Participants included representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Churches of [[Russia]], [[Serbia]], [[Romania]], [[Cyprus]], [[Greece]], [[Poland]], [[Albania]], [[Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia|Czechia and Slovakia]], and [[Finland]], His Eminence [[Archbishop]] Timotheos of Crete and Metropolitans of the Church of Crete, His Excellency Professor of Constitutional Law Evangelos Venizelos, Minister of Culture of the Hellenic Republic as key-note speaker, and a number of jurists and scholars. The proceedings of the Consultation were conducted under the chairmanship of the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, His Eminence Metropolitan [[Meliton (Karas) of Philadelphia|Meliton]] of Philadelphia.
The topic of the consultation was: "The stance of the European Constitution towards the Churches and Religions proposed by the Orthodox Church" as posed in the Letter of Invitation of His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomeos]]: "Hence, the agency in charge of composing and sanctioning the Constitution of Europe finds itself confronted with the need,
