The Department of Interreligious Studies was established by the decision (14 / 25.08.2014) of the Board of the Directors of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies.

This Department studies the multifaceted religious phenomena in its modern diverse manifestations (focusing on the most familiar to the Greek area monotheistic religions of Judaism and Islam) by using the findings of the religious studies research as it has developed internationally.

The importance of the study of the religious phenomenon is evident because religion constitutes a fundamental aspect of the human existence itself, interwoven with its very identity, and because religion has been diachronically exploited by various sides, so that the commonly so-called "return of religion” to the public space is often painted in dark colors. At a time which seems more or less dominated by intolerance and violence, the dialogue between the different religious traditions in the context of a serious scientific investigation into the place of religion in the public space can foster not only mutual knowledge but also contribute to the harmonious and peaceful coexistence of different people and traditions in the modern pluralistic world. Besides the above, the purpose of this Department will be to build on the long experience of cohabitation of the three monotheistic religions in the Mediterranean region and to initiate actions and tables of dialogue towards the promotion of reconciliation in contexts of religious otherness.

The Director of the Department of the Interreligious Studies Dr. Angeliki Ziaka was appointed by the above decision of the Board of the Directors of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies and is a member of its Board, Assoc. Professor, Department of Theology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, lecturer at the Department of Political Sciences of the same University and at the Department of History and Ethnology of, Democritus University, Visiting Professor at the University of Timisoara (Romania) and University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, USA), member of the Scientific Committee for the Upgrading of the Religious Education of the teachers of Islam (Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs), a founding member and member of the Board of Directors of the Scientific Association for Ibadism and Ibadi Studies, a founding member and member of the Board of the Directors of the Scientific Society of Middle East Studies, and of the Board of the Editorial Consults of the Orthodox Theology Editorial Series «Doxa & Praxis: Exploring Orthodox Theology» (WCC Publications, Geneva).