Catholics and Orthodox recall Constantine's Edict of Milan
(Vatican Radio) Catholic and Orthodox leaders are meeting in the Turkish city of Istanbul
this week for a seminar on religious freedom, 1,700 years after Emperor Constantine
granted freedom of conscience and ended persecution against Christians in the Roman
Empire. The meeting, jointly organized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Istanbul
Bartholomew 1st, spiritual leader of the Orthodox world, and the Council of European
Bishops Conferences or CCEE, will take place on May 17th and 18th,
focusing on the historical, legal and political aspects of religious freedom in Europe
and beyond. The Ecumenical Patriarch will open the meeting, which will commemorate
the Milan Edict of Toleration in 313 which had such a pivotal impact on the development
of European society. Participants will examine current questions of religious freedom
from three perspectives: that of the religious communities, including the Jewish,
Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic communities; the reality of religious freedom in the
world today, and the relationship between religion, politics and contemporary society. The
closed door meeting will conclude with a visit to the site of Constantine’s death
in May 337.