Summary of the Conference

INTERPRETING THE PRESENT, MAKING THE FUTURE:
THEOLOGY TODAY IN THE ORTHODOX PATRIARCHY OF ANTIOCH

with the participation of partners of the Academy of Theological Studies of Volos

Between September 11 and 15, an academic conference was held in Athens on the theme "Interpreting the present, making the future: Theology today in the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch", with participants from Lebanon, the United States, Greece, France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. The Conference was organized by the Institute for the Eastern Churches of the Catholic Diocese of Regensburg (Ostkircheninstitut der Diözese Regensburg, Germany) directed by the Dominican Fr. Dietmar Schon, in collaboration with the Chair of Orthodox Theology of the University of Münster (Germany) directed by Professor Assaad Elias Kattan. It is part of a series of annual conferences by the Institute for the Eastern Churches that, in recent years, have included theology in Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece.

The Conference focused on what is characterized as the "Antiochian ecclesiastical sector", which includes not only Syria, but also Lebanon, the Arab countries and the countries of America and Europe where there is an Arab diaspora. The sessions were divided into five sections, namely biblical theology and hermeneutics ("Reading the Bible in Antioch today: Achievements and Challenges"), the legacy of Arab Christian theology that flourished after the emergence of Islam ("The New Voice of the Old Texts "), the affairs of women and youth ("Women and youth in Antioch: Something Just Added or an Added Value?"), the importance of the region's political context from the Middle Ages to the present day ("Context as a Challenge") and finally the question of the future in a framework of political theology ("A new Vision for a Church Steeped in History?").

The Conference was attended by, among others, the Director of Volos Academy for Theological Studies, Dr. Pantelis Kalaitzidis, who spoke on "The modern Antiochian identity between colonialism, Romeosyne and global challenges" and the research associate Dr. Nikos Kouremenos on "Combining the Ecumenical Movement with the Postmodern Era: Approaching the so-called school of Antioch through the lens of Nicaea". The proceedings of the Conference are expected to be published in the near future.

See the original conference program here

Read the Welcome Address to the Conference by Professor Assaad Elias Kattan, Chair of Orthodox Theology at the University of Münster, here