DIALOGUE AND EDUCATION IN THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN TRADITION

The educational seminar “Dialogue and Education in the Orthodox Christian Tradition”, co-organized by the Volos Academy for Theological Studies and the Theological Faculty of the University of Sofia (Bulgaria) concluded on Friday, October 17. The seminar lasted one week and in its first part covered topics such as inter-Orthodox relations and the ecumenical movement (Dr. Nikos Kouremenos, research associate of the Volos Academy), political theology (Dr. Pantelis Kalaitzidis, director of the Volos Academy) and interreligious dialogue (Dr. Angeliki Ziaka, Professor of the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Executive Director of the Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation Program of the World Council of Churches, Geneva). The second part of the seminar was dedicated to the teaching of religious studies at school, the instructors being Dr. Nikos Tsirevelos, Apostolos Barlos and Vasso Gogou (teachers in adult education, educational associates of the Volos Academy). They presented details of modern philosophy, curriculum, contents, methods and nature of teaching Religious Studies in the various grades in the contemporary Greek schools. The topic of teaching is of particular interest to the Bulgarian trainees, as from this year a religious subject (named “Religion and Virtues”) became mandatory in Bulgarian schools.

As part of the training, the trainees also visited religious monuments in the region of Magnesia. Reports about the seminar have already appeared in Bulgarian religious media, as for example on the website hristianstvo.bg ( https://tinyurl.com/hristiavolos )