This post was originally published on this site
On February 4, 2025, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon participated in the International Religious Freedom Summit held at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC. The Metropolitan was accompanied by Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Acting Chancellor and Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America.
The International Religious Freedom Summit, an annual gathering that draws hundreds of distinguished religious leaders, policymakers, and advocates from across the globe, serves as a platform for dialogue on religious liberty and human rights.
During the summit’s midday session, Metropolitan Tikhon was invited as a featured panelist at a luncheon sponsored by the Alliance of Virtue. He shared the panel with former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback and renowned Islamic scholar Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, among other distinguished leaders. The discussion focused on practical strategies for advancing religious freedom and building interfaith partnerships.
Following the panel discussions, Metropolitan Tikhon met with Chris Halverson, Minister-At-Large at the International Foundation. Mr. Halverson has extensive experience in fostering dialogue among political leaders, having served as Acting Chaplain to the United States Senate (1992-1995) and continuing to organize faith-sharing events for governmental officials at various levels. He also remains active in the prayer breakfast movement, which promotes peace and unity among diverse groups of people.
The meeting was joined by Fr. Alessandro and Jonathan Pageau, a member of the Orthodox Church in America’s Metropolitan Council, and popular speaker, artist, and author.
