Press Release - 27 august 2019
27th International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality
CALLED TO LIFE IN CHRIST
In the Church, in the world, in the present time
Monastery of Bose, 4-6 September 2019
in collaboration with the Orthodox Churches
The 27th International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality, organized in collaboration with the Orthodox Churches, will be held at the Monastery of Bose from 4th to 6th September 2019 on the theme “Called to Life in Christ”. The symposium, which will be attended by representatives of many different Churches and scholars from all over the world, aims to explore the meaning of the human vocation and the Christian vocation in the church, in the world, in the present time.
27th International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality
CALLED TO LIFE IN CHRIST
In the Church, in the world, in the present time
Monastery of Bose, 4-6 September 2019
in collaboration with the Orthodox Churches
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The 27th International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality, organized in collaboration with the Orthodox Churches, will be held at the Monastery of Bose from 4th to 6th September 2019 on the theme “Called to Life in Christ”. The symposium, which will be attended by representatives of many different Churches and scholars from all over the world, aims to explore the meaning of the human vocation and the Christian vocation in the church, in the world, in the present time.
The aim of the Conference, in the midst of the cultural, political, ecological, and social crises we experience, is to explore the roots of the vocation of each person to a fully meaningful life, in relationship with others. In the biblical tradition, God’s calling (“Adam where are you?”, Gen. 3:9) is a calling to life, to the task of authentically becoming human beings. In the Gospel, this calling takes on the concreteness and strength of a person, Jesus of Nazareth: the response to God’s call is identified with following Christ (cf. John 1:38). It is the wonder of an encounter and the birth of an adventure that crosses history.
The Conference papers, rethinking the rich and multiform tradition of the Christian East, offer an important opportunity for reflection on the fundamental choices of existence.
The Conference will open with a prolusion by Fr. Enzo Bianchi, founder of the Monastery of Bose and President of the Scientific Committee, on the meaning of the human and Christian vocation. This will be followed by a biblical section on the prophetic and Christian vocation today (V. Rev. Prof. Arsenij Sokolov, Damascus; Prof. John Fotopoulos, Notre Dame, IN); then will follow a theological section on the charisms of the people of God and the specific charism of women (Rev. Dr. Bassam Nassif, Balamand; Prof. Julija Vidović, Paris; Prof. Despina Prassas, Providence, RI), on the foundations of life in Christ (H. E. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Moscow) and of Christian hope (H. E. Metropolitan Andrei of Cluj); finally, a large section of spirituality will touch on the themes of spiritual beauty (Prof. Sebastian Brock, Oxford; Prof. Peter Bouteneff, Crestwood, NY; Rev. Stephen Headley, Vezelay), of monastic life in the East and the West today (Rt. Rev. Bishop Silvestr of Bilohorod; Rt. Rev. Michel Van Parys, Chevetogne; H. E. Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana; H. E. Metropolitan Nektarios of Argolis; H. E. Archbishop Angaelos of London), of Christian testimony (V. Rev. Prof. John Behr, Crestwood, NY; Prof. Christos Yannaras, Athens), of life in a community (V. Rev. Athenagoras Fasiolo, Montaner) and of the Christian vocation in the life of the “polis” (Prof. Aristotle Papanikolaou, NY).
Life in Christ is the possible witness to a life full of meaning, a hope always present at the heart of humanity and creation.
There will be numerous delegations from different Churches. Representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (H. E. Archbishop Job of Telmessos and V. Rev. Archimandrite Athenagoras Fasiolo); of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and of all Africa (H. E. Metropolitan Serafim of Zimbabwe and Angola); of the Patriarchate of Antioch (V. Rev. Prof. Jack Khalil) will be present. The delegation of the Patriarchate of Moscow will consist of H. E. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, V. Rev. Prof.Arsenij Sokolov and Rev.Aleksey Dikarev. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church will be represented by Rt. Rev. Bishop Viktor of Baryshevka. The Serbian Orthodox Church will be represented by Rt. Rev. Bishop Isihije of Mohacs and H. E. Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana; the Romanian Orthodox Church by H. E. Metropolitan Andrei of Vadu, Feleacu and Cluj; the Patriarchate of Georgia by H. E. Metropolitan Nikolosidi of Akhalkalaki and Kumurdo and H. E. Metropolitan Danieli of Čiatura; the Church of Greece by H. E. Metropolitan Ioannis of Thermopyli and H. E. Metropolitan Nektarios of Argolis; the Bulgarian Orthodox Church by Rev. Stefan Palikarov; the Church of Albania by Rt. Rev.Bishop Asti of Bylis. Representing the Orthodox Church in America will be Rt. Rev. Bishop Melchisedek of Pittsburgh and H. E. Archbishop Alexander of Dallas. The Coptic Orthodox Church will be represented by H. E. Archbishop Angaelos of London. Two bishops of the Church of England will also be present: Rt. Rev. John Stroyan of Warwick, delegate of the Most Rev.Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and Rt. Rev. Jonathan Goodall of Ebbsfleet. The Armenian Apostolic Church will be represented at the Conference by V. Rev. Archimandrite Rouben Zargaryan.
The Catholic Church will be represented by the Most Rev. Roberto Farinella, Bishop of Biella, the Most Rev. Archbishop Piero Marini, President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, the Most Rev. Archbishop Antonio Mennini, Apostolic Nuncio to the Secretariat of State of His Holiness, the Most Rev. Marco Arnolfo Archbishop of Vercelli, the Most Rev. Derio Olivero, Bishop di Pinerolo, H. E. Cardinal Severino Poletto, Archbishop Emeritus of Turin, the Most Rev. Luigi Bettazzi, Bishop Emeritus of Ivrea. Msgr. Andrea Palmieri, Under-Secretaryof the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, Rev. Hyacinthe Destivelle and Rev. Jaromir Zadrapa, of the same Council, Rev. Oleksandr Sapunko of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches and Rev. Giuliano Savina, Director of the National Office for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue of the Italian Episcopal Conference; Dr. Alexander Paklin, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Russian Federation to the Holy See, will participate in the symposium.
Numerous monks from the East and the West will attend the Conference, which is open to all.
Presentation of the volume Discernment and Christian Life (Qiqajon 2019), which collects the proceedings of the 26th International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality (2018) will be held during the Conference.