WATER: SPIRIT AND SCIENCE

Exploring Spiritual and Scientific Perspectives

Between August 29 and September 2, 2024, the Halki Summit VI was successfully held in Istanbul and the Halki island on the topic “Water, Spirit and Science”, organized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in cooperation with the Hellenic Open University.

According to the rationale of the Summit, water is the most vital and inseparable element of every ecosystem, providing the lifeblood of every community. Every living organism, like every human being, needs water for survival and growth. Halki Summit VI brought together theologians and scientists to explore the scriptural and liturgical, as well as the philosophical and historical sacredness of water in the Church, but also the technical and technological significance of water and wastewater management for the sustainability of the creation and of the human communities.

Volos Academy for Theological Studies was represented by its deputy director, Dr. Nikolaos Asproulis, who spoke on “Water as Communion: The (ontological) Unity of the Whole Cosmos as an Urgent Quest”. In his presentation, Dr. Asproulis explored insights developed within the Christian (and particularly Orthodox) tradition, such as ontological interconnectedness, deep incarnation, and cosmic liturgy, in an endeavor to present a specific eco-ethos, relevant to the discussion on water. Prof. Aikaterini Tsalabouni (Faculty of Theology, University of Thessaloniki), member of the Board of Directors of the Volos Academy, also participated in the summit. In her paper on “Water as a Witness of God’s Power & Blessing in the Bible. An Eco-theological Approach,” Prof. Tsalabouni focused on certain biblical verses about the relevance of water as a sign of God’s power and blessing of his creation, making use of the tools of ecological hermeneutics.

To read the full program please visit the official website of the Halki Summit, see https://www.halkisummit.com/hs6/