The Ecumenical Hellenism program , is a non-profit, non-governmental company. It is the result of the cooperation between the Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

-based publishing house Greek National Line (Ελληνική Εθνική Γραμμή) and the Institute for National and Religious Studies

Karipion Melathron

Karipeio Melathro is an Ottoman-period historical building in the center of Thessaloniki, Greece. It is located in the crossroad of Olympiados and F. Dragoumi streets....

 of Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...

.

The program started its function in 1996, as a result of the initiative of the businessman Stavros Panousopoulos and of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the largest Greek university, and the largest university in the Balkans. It was named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, Chalcidice, about 55 km east of Thessaloniki, in Central Macedonia...

 Professor, Athanasios Angelopoulos

Athanasios Angelopoulos

Athanasios Angelopoulos is a Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; founder and in-honour president of the Institute for National and Religious Studies .He has studied at the Theology School of the University of Athens as well as in University of Belgrade's...

. The aim of the Ecumenical Hellenism is to promote Greek interests abroad as well as to publish editions regarding Greek culture and Orthodoxy

Orthodoxy

The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...

. The program mainly operates within the Greek diaspora

Greek diaspora

The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...

.

During its function, the program organised missions all over the world and operated under the patronage of the President of the Hellenic Republic

President of Greece

The President of the Hellenic Republic , colloquially referred to in English as the President of Greece, is the head of state of Greece. The office of the President of the Republic was established after the Greek republic referendum, 1974 and formally by the Constitution of Greece in 1975. The...

 as well as under the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarch and of the Church of Greece

Church of Greece

The Church of Greece , part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Orthodox Christianity...

.

External links

• http://www.gnl.gr/gnl_en/home_en.htm, Homepage of Ecumenical Hellenism program
• World congress organized by Ecumenical Hellenism. June 2, 2006