A high-level meeting was convened at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople between Professor Panagiotis Behrakis, President of the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention, and Professor Theodoros Alexopoulos, with His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The meeting addressed, in a comprehensive and substantive manner, the critically important issue of protecting children and young people from nicotine dependence, emphasizing the imperative of prevention, education, and coordinated societal action.
This engagement represents a prominent initiative, highlighting the complementary and mutually reinforcing roles of scientific evidence-based policy and spiritual leadership in the advancement, protection, and promotion of global public health.
Following this meaningful exchange, His All-Holiness kindly recorded a video message addressed to ENSP, acknowledging the Network’s long-standing commitment to safeguarding youth and supporting a society free from tobacco and nicotine addiction.
We warmly invite all ENSP members and partners to view and share this important message.
In particular, we encourage colleagues and organizations in Orthodox countries to use this message as a valuable resource in their daily work, supporting prevention efforts, strengthening community engagement, and reinforcing the protection of children and young people from the growing threats of nicotine addiction and emerging products targeting youth.
This powerful call reminds us that protecting the next generation requires united action across all sectors of society.
This initiative represents an important first step in engaging all sectors of society in our shared mission to protect children and young people from nicotine addiction. We hope that, with your continued support, this example will encourage similar commitments from other churches, faith communities, and key societal stakeholders, strengthening a broad and united response in support of public health.
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