Inter-Theological Conferrences
INTER-THEOLOGICAL CONFERENCES
Beside the conferences and consultations organized by the Ecumenical Commission, AIDRom was invited to all actions organized by the Commission for Church Comparative History (Cernica monastery,”St. Basil and the Capadocian fathers”, September 2008) and preparatory work for Constanta (May 2008) where Charta Oecumenica was presented as a basis for inter-religious dialogue in an interfaith international conference. AIDRom had also a good cooperation with the Romanian Interconfessional Bible Society and in the Romanian Parlamentary group for prayer, where the up-to-date issue teaching religion in the high schools was debated in 2008, together with the campaign launched by the Romanian Patriarchate „ no high school without God ’’.
In connection to the inter-theological conferences, one of the overall objectives of the department form ecumenical training and platform is the enforcement of the inter-theological dialogue at local, but also worldwide level, while the specific objectives mention the focus on major ecumenical topics, such as the anniversary of 60 years since the establishing of the World Council of Churches (1948-2008). Constanta international conference had an interfaith and intercultural approach for about 100 participants (50 participants from each area). Most of them were Orthodox and professors of theology coming from 12 Orthodox Faculties but also scientists and theologians from the Catholic and Protestant traditions. AIDRom targeted on presenting the dialog with Judaism and Islam in Charta Oecumenica, published into Romanian also by AIDRom in several editions.
PARTICIPATION TO OTHER SIGNIFICANT INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS: EUROPEAN REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP GROUP MEETING, FYR OF MACEDONIA, OHRID, 13-17.5.2008
The main purpose of the WCC ERPG meeting was to offer a space for information-sharing, coordination and policy development among ecumenical partners working in Central and Eastern Europe, representatives of WCC‑ related national partner organisations, Europe Desks of specialised ministries and other partners involved in ecumenical diaconal/development cooperation in Central, Southeast, Eastern Europe, including Central Asia. The meeting made some analysis of the challenges facing development and diakonia in the region with presentations and witnesses on Anti-trafficking, Church organisations in civil society, advocacy work, environment protection, conflict resolution, HIV/Aids mainstreaming ( Inerela and Christian Aid).
As a follow-up to the participation in Ochrid we can spot the genesis of at least three AIDRom project proposals: two of them directed to WCC-ESF and the third one to NCC of USA. On the other hand, it was an enriching input in the interfaith dialogue, an area where AIDRom will start its work soon and therefore the examples from Macedonia, Armenia or Middle East were very significant.
