International Workshop

ORTHODOX THEOLOGY IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE:
RECLAIMING A CREDIBLE PUBLIC VOICE

A workshop on the theme “Orthodox Theology in the Public Sphere: Reclaiming a Credible Public Voice” will take place in Thessalia Conference Center, Melissatika, Volos, Greece on October 23 and 24, 2026. The Workshop is organized by Volos Academy for Theological Studies and the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA), supported by the Holy Metropolis of Demetrias, Greece, the Holy Metropolis of Peristeri, Greece, and the Huffington Ecumenical Institute (CA, USA).

The workshop examines the public discourse of Orthodox theology in contemporary Europe and beyond: how it speaks, to whom it speaks, and with what theological and social consequences. Focusing on the forms, languages, and media through which Orthodox voices enter the public sphere—sermons, statements, op-eds, digital platforms, academic interventions, and institutional documents—the workshop addresses how Orthodox theology can contribute to democratic and plural societies without becoming either a civil-religious ideology or a self-enclosed ecclesial commentary.

Participants will explore key tensions shaping Orthodox public speech today: tradition and modernity, authority and accountability, national narratives and catholicity, identity and hospitality, as well as the challenges posed by polarization, misinformation, and geopolitical instrumentalization. The workshop aims to develop criteria for a theologically grounded, ethically responsible, and publicly intelligible Orthodox voice, attentive to the lived realities of European societies and the wider Orthodox world. Participants include H.E. Metropolitan Grigorios of Peristerion, Dr. Pantelis Kalaitzidis, Prof. Effie Fokas, Prof. Vasilios N. Makrides, Rev. Prof. Vasileios Thermos, Rev. Prof. Nikolaos Loudovikos, Rev. Prof. Cyril Hovorun. Dr. Nikolaos Asproulis, Dr. Lidiya Lozova, Dr. Ionuț Biliuță, Prof. Haralambos Ventis, Prof. Sveto Riboloff, Prof. Dimitrios Moschos, and Dr. Nikos Kouremenos.

The workshop is open to the public upon communication with the Secretary of Volos Academy at (+30) 2421093553.