The Institute of Ecumenical Studies was represented at this event by Fr. Roman Fihas, the coordinator of the Distance Master’s Program in Ecumenical Studies.

The organizers of the conference were the Institute of Religious Dialog and Interconfessional Communication under the auspices of the Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church and the Christian Educational Center of Sts. Methodius and Cyril. The gathering was organized with the blessing of Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk Filaret, the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus.

The conference was a place for meetings of representatives of Christian and Jewish traditions, where they spoke about their points of contact and their common roots. Both the Jews and Christians agreed that their fundamental values are deeply Biblical. The participants also emphasized the necessity of fostering and developing these traditions and their popularization in contemporary society.

“It was very pleasing to see,” said Fr. Roman Fihas, “that the Jewish, Orthodox, and Catholic sides were all represented by high-ranking individuals, and that many others also took part in the dialog – priests, rabbis, scholars, and members of the communities.

We remind you that the Christian Educational Center of Sts. Methodius and Cyril last year signed an agreement of cooperation with the Institute of Ecumenical Studies.