Members of various Christian churches and denominations from across Europe gathered in Warsaw from September 5 to September 10 for the Academic Meeting of the European Society for Ecumenical Research—Societas Oecumenica. This year’s event commemorated the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council (Nicea, 325 AD).
The meeting’s theme focused on the contemporary reception of the First Council of Nicaea and the lessons of the early Church’s synodal discernment.
The 22nd edition of the Societas Oecumenica meeting saw the participation of approximately 80 representatives.
Viorel Coman, patriarchal advisor and coordinator of the Sector for Church Relations, Interreligious Affairs, and External Church Communities, explained to Lumina Newspaper that the discussions explore various aspects of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.
Topics include the council’s broader historical context, hermeneutical reflections on trinitarian theology, the synodal practice of the 325 event, the reception of the First Ecumenical Council in the life of various Christian churches, and the council’s canonical legacy.
The European Society for Ecumenical Research – Societas Oecumenica was founded in 1978. Its members include ecumenical institutions and departments of ecumenical theology from European universities engaged in research to promote inter-Christian dialogue.
The 13th Academic Meeting of Societas Oecumenica was held in Sibiu, Romania in 2004.
Photo: Facebook / Johannes Oeldemann