Volos Academy for Theological Studies of Volos hosts the Second Mega-Conference of the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA). This four-day International Theological meeting on the general theme “Mission and Orthodox Church,” will take place from January 11 to 15, 2023, in Volos, Greece, with English as working language.
A fruit of the Pan-Orthodox Synod that took place in Crete (2016), IOTA was founded in 2017 with the aim to theologically contribute to the renewal of the Orthodox Church, supporting pan-Orthodox unity and synodality. As a pan-Orthodox non-profit organization, IOTA does not belong to any local Church and strives to maintain constructive relations with the leaders of all Orthodox Churches. For this purpose, it organizes international sessions, group research projects, and collaborates with institutions all over the world. Its main interests include the understanding of modern culture in the light of the Orthodox tradition and the support of pan-Orthodox unity and mutual understanding.
This extremely important event, which is going to bring together about four hundred specialized speakers from many countries (America, Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, the Balkans, Russia), with the participation of 15 bishops from various Orthodox Churches and dozens of clergy and monks, is supported by important theological institutions and research centers, including the Department of Theology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece), the Holy Cross Orthodox Seminary in Boston (USA), the Orthodox Theological Seminary of St. Vladimir in New York (USA), the Orthodox Theological Society in America (OTSA), the Theological Faculty of Sofia University (Bulgaria), the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University in New York (USA), the Orthodox Theological School of the University of Balamand in Lebanon, the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge (UK), the Orthodox Theological School of St. Andrew in Sydney (Australia), the St. Irenaeus Orthodox Theological Institute from the Netherlands, the New Georgian University from the Republic of Georgia, the European Academy of Religion, the Ecumenical Foundation Pro-Oriente, the European programme RESILIENCE, etc.
The organization of this conference in the city of Volos is a recognition of the work of the Holy Metropolis of Demetrias and the important theological witness of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies.
The conference focuses on the role and importance of Mission, understood as the presence and action of Orthodoxy in the modern world. The keynote speaker of the Conference will be His Eminence Ambrosios (Zografos), Metropolitan of Korea, who is an emblematic personality of the Orthodox mission and the Orthodox Church of the Diaspora. With a solid theological education and decades of missionary experience, he serves as a bishop in a cultural environment radically different from that of the Western world, bringing to the fore relevant experiences, without distancing himself neither from the general problems of the Orthodox mission, nor from the common anxiety for the future of Orthodoxy in the modern world.
In addition, in parallel sessions, special speakers will present their scientific contributions on issues such as Secularization and the Orthodox Church, Contemporary Mission Theologies, Religious Nationalism and Identity Policies, Philosophical Theology as a Hermeneutical Tool, Women and the Orthodox Church, Issues of Ecumenical Theology, Theological Education in the 21st century, Orthodox Diaspora, the Place of Religion in the Public Sphere, etc.
The role and the importance of Orthodoxy in the modern world renders it, among others, as a primary factor for the consolidation of peace and cooperation among peoples. In this context, the study of its missionary activity in the new possibilities and challenges of the 21st century, constitute a substantial contribution both for the understanding of its role, and for highlighting its fruitful contribution to the theological, anthropological and social fields.
Take a look at the final program of the Conference Here
And as pdf here
