An international conference on Christianity on the Threshold of a New Millennium opens in Moscow

AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHRISTIANITY ON THE THRESHOLD OF A NEW MILLENNIUM OPENS IN MOSCOW

The international conference on Christianity on the Threshold of a New Millennium has opened on June 20 at the headquarters of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. The conference was organized jointly by the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian ministry of culture and the Russian Orthodox Church.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia addressed the participants. One of the primary tasks of this time, he believes, is to overcome the imposed positivistic ideology and the theomachistic theories setting falsely faith and science against each other. «How church-state relations can and must be built? What are the most promising directions in studies on our history? What is the religious make-up of the Russian population? What is the right approach to possible contradictions between the church tradition and facts found in scientific historical research? What is the new educational doctrine of the Russian Orthodox Church? How the commandment of charity and service of neighbours as well as missionary and educational tasks should be implemented in today’s life? All these are not at all idle or abstract questions, but problems posed by life itself», His Holiness said, calling ecclesiastical and secular scholars to continue their joint efforts.

The conference was also addressed by the RAS president Yu. Osipov.

Messages of greetings were received from the Russian Federation ministry of culture, the UN and the Pope John Paul II.

During the opening session, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia was made professor of the RAS honoris causa in recognition of his contribution to the strengthening of spiritual values and the development of humanitarian knowledge. The RAS Presidium noted the academic value of the monograph «Orthodoxy in Estonia» by Patriarch Alexy II. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was also the initiator of reviving the Metropolitan Macarius Prize awarded for studies on the history of Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church and Moscow and the principal inspirer of the fundamental jubilee edition — the 25-volume Orthodox Encyclopedia. The Moscow State University rector V. Sadovnichy made a special mention of His Holiness’ contribution to the growing interest in theological studies among students and youth.

The key-presentations were made by Academician Boris Rauschenbach and Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch for All Belarus and chairman of the Synodal Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Among the participants are Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Metropolitan Mefody of Voronezh and Lipetsk, Archbishop Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, chairman of the Synodal Missionary Department, clergy, theologians and scholars from Russia, CIS countries as well as Germany, Greece, Spain, Poland and France.

The forum will work in plenary sessions and sections. The themes «Church, state and civil society», «Social and educational work of the Church», «Church tradition and historical science today» will be discussed in plenary sessions. Presentations will be made and discussions will be held on the themes of the eight sections: «Theological understanding of history», «Christianity and art. Problems of restoration and reconstruction of churches», «Topical problems of studies on the Eastern Christians Churches», «The experience of the ecumenical movement in the 20th century: Unions and Divisions», «Orthodoxy in a multiconfessional society», «Peacemaking potential of Christianity», «Topical problems of biblical archeology today and the history of the Holy Land», and «Topical studies on Russian church history».