The Orthodox and CIMADE

This article by Elisabeth Behr-Sigel presents the involvement of Orthodox Christians within CIMADE, a Protestant ecumenical mutual aid organization founded in 1939 that became after the war a service providing assistance to refugees, migrant workers and populations of the Third World. In the form of an engaged testimony, the author traces the history of collaboration between Orthodox and Protestants within this structure, highlighting the participation of figures such as Paul Evdokimov and Nicolas Lossky. The central idea is that this ecumenical cooperation is doubly fruitful: it anchors the Orthodox presence among the most destitute and mutually enriches both traditions. On the theological level, the article articulates social diakonia with the Orthodox vision of Divine-Humanity, affirming that service to one's neighbor constitutes an essential and non-optional dimension of ecclesial life.