International Conference on the Thought and Legacy of Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon

The John Zizioulas Foundation announces an international conference to be held at the Monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, located in the city of Hildesheim, Germany, under the auspices of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Berlin and Germany. The Conference will take place between October 15 and 18, 2026. This gathering marks the second major conference of the Foundation, following the inaugural meeting held in Constantinople in November 2024.

Faithful to the wisdom received and attentive to the horizons opening before us, the conference will gather scholars from varied disciplines to reflect on the implications of John Zizioulas’s theological vision for philosophy, art, science, technology, and ecumenical relations. It is conceived as a space of listening and discernment, where tradition meets creative inquiry.

Alongside invited speakers, younger scholars and emerging voices will be welcomed through dedicated workshops, offering them an opportunity to contribute their own perspectives and to take part in a living conversation across generations.

The conference is generously sponsored by the John Zizioulas Foundation (Greece), Sebastian Press (USA), Volos Academy for Theological Studies (Greece), the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University (NY, USA), and the Faculty of Theology of the University of Göttingen (Germany)—a shared commitment to sustaining thoughtful dialogue at the crossroads of theology and contemporary life.

The conference is scheduled to commence in the evening of Thursday, October 15, with a formal opening session. The program will include introductory remarks, a keynote lecture, and an initial working session. Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, are designated as full working days. Sunday is planned as a concluding solemn liturgical gathering, featuring a pan-Orthodox concelebration as the ecclesial culmination of the conference.

For the detailed program, the participants and the possibilities of attending, see the official webpage, https://zizioulas.org/