"Listening to the East": ecumenical evening on Orthodox synodality

An ecumenical evening entitled "Listening to the East", on synodality in the Orthodox traditions, took place in Rome on 10 October. During the event, held at the Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum, the book of the same title was presented, which compiles the proceedings of the conferences held at the Angelicum in 2022. A documentary film on the same conferences, jointly organized by the Vienna-based Pro Oriente Foundation and the Angelicum Institute of Ecumenical Studies, was also premiered.

In his opening remarks, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna and Chairman of the Pro Oriente Board of Trustees, recalled the foundation's origins and its ecumenical engagement with the Eastern and Oriental Churches.

For his part, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, presented in his speech the book of proceedings, emphasizing its contribution to the question: what can Catholics learn from Orthodox synodality? The Cardinal also noted that the volume is "the first providing in a systematic way insights on the synodal experience of the different Oriental Orthodox traditions, including the participation of laity, of women and of youth, and the synodal experience of monasticism."

After the screening of the documentary film, Dr. Alfons M. Kloss, President of Pro Oriente, Mr. Robert Neumuller, film Director, and Dr. Viola Raheb, Project Officer, explained its production.

The evening, moderated by Revd Fr Hyacinthe Destivelle, Director of the Angelicum’s Institute for Ecumenical Studies, was attended by Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary of the DPCU, Sr. Nathalie Becquart, Undersecretary of the Synod, Rev. Fr. Michel Jalakh, Secretary of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches, Mr. Bernd Mussinghoff, General Secretary of Pro Oriente, Members of the Synod, Fraternal Delegates, as well as numerous representatives of local Churches, Pontifical Universities, and the diplomatic corps.

_{Photos : Subdeacon Viken Abassian}