The place of the Orthodox Church in the European construction

This article examines the place of the Orthodox Church in the process of European integration, drawing on a lecture delivered in 2000 by lay theologian Elisabeth Behr-Sigel. Taking a reflective and personal approach, the author first traces the history of the exclusion of Orthodox countries from post-war European construction, inherited from the decisions made at Yalta and from the Cold War. She then analyses the tensions revealed by the Kosovo crisis, which crystallised the opposition between a Western vision of Europe and Orthodox sensibilities. The article argues that Orthodoxy does not constitute an obstacle to European unity, but rather a fully-fledged spiritual and cultural component of the continent. Drawing on the positions of Patriarch Bartholomew I and on ecumenical dialogue, it advocates for a Europe that integrates both its Christian traditions, Eastern and Western, as a condition for authentic and lasting unification.