Protecting places of worship and religious communities at the heart of SHIELDed discussions in Berlin
SHIELDed meetings in Berlin explored how to protect places of worship and religious communities through local cooperation and dialogue.
Orthodox Christianity is Poland’s second-largest religious denomination after Roman Catholicism. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the resulting influx of new residents have further highlighted the importance of integration, access to information and effective communication with public institutions.
The second meeting of the Local Shielding Council (LSC), organised at the headquarters of the Polish Platform for Homeland Security as part of the SHIELDed project, provided an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the situation of the Orthodox community.
Local dialogue within the SHIELDed Project
SHIELDed is a European project aimed at improving the security and resilience of places that are particularly vulnerable to threats, including places of worship and educational institutions. The project is based on cooperation between religious communities, public institutions, law enforcement and emergency services, civil society organisations and the education sector.
An important part of these activities is the Local Shielding Councils—local dialogue platforms where representatives of different communities and sectors can exchange experiences, identify threats and discuss opportunities for cooperation to improve security. In Poland, PPHS acts as the LSC contact point and is responsible for organising and coordinating meetings in Poznań.
Representatives of religious communities, the Police, the City of Poznań, the Municipal Police, as well as organisations and institutions working in the fields of security, integration and the prevention of hate crime have participated in the LSC’s activities to date. The cooperation has included interviews, expert discussions, local meetings and exchanges of experience during project events in Berlin.
The perspective of Poznań's Orthodox Parish
The guests at the meeting included Mitred Archpriest Sławomir Kondratiuk, parish priest of the Orthodox Parish of St Nicholas the Wonderworker in Poznań, who also serves as an Orthodox prison chaplain, and Tomasz Puchalski, Bishop of the Reformed Catholic Church.
The discussion provided an opportunity to learn more about the traditions and customs of the Orthodox Church, the day-to-day activities of the Poznań parish and the challenges brought to it by members of the congregation. Father Kondratiuk also presented the perspective of people deprived of their liberty and shared experiences from his work as a chaplain.
The meeting also addressed the Orthodox community’s cooperation with the Police, the Municipal Police, the regional administration and representatives of other religious denominations. Particular attention was paid to the language barrier. People with migration experience approach the parish not only for spiritual support, but also with questions about administrative procedures, the law and available forms of assistance.
Similar needs were also identified by other participants in the LSC meetings. The discussions demonstrated the importance of easily accessible information in English and Ukrainian on matters including contacting public offices and emergency services, reporting hate crimes, obtaining legal assistance and accessing language courses. Among its other activities, the SHIELDed project is developing recommendations intended to support the creation of tools that respond to the needs of these communities.
The PPHS Brings Local Communities and Institutions Together
As the organiser of the meetings and the LSC contact point in Poland, the PPHS creates a space where communities can present their experiences directly to the institutions and services responsible for security. The information gathered helps to improve understanding of local circumstances and ensures that different perspectives are taken into account in the project’s activities.
SHIELDed focuses on strengthening cooperation and communication between communities and institutions, developing local resilience, raising awareness, and preparing tools and recommendations to support the protection of vulnerable spaces.
The PPHS will continue its dialogue with representatives of religious communities so that their customs, experiences and specific security-related needs can be better understood by local institutions and the other members of the Local Shielding Council.
