Academic Research
Fostering rigorous scholarship on the historical and contemporary challenges faced by Eastern Christians in regions of conflict.
International Conference 2026
Peace at the Crossroads
of a Troubled World
Eastern Christians, Conflicts and Peacebuilding
Dates
5–6 Nov 2026
Location
Pontificio Istituto Orientale
P.za di Santa Maria Maggiore, 7
00185 Roma RM, Italy
Format
In-person & online
Contribution
120 €
(conference, coffee break & lunch)
Online: 20 €
Context
A Crisis of Peace
The world is facing a crisis of peace. In the Middle East and Eastern Europe, conflicts are rooted in long memories, power rivalries, and religious fractures that diplomacy alone can no longer resolve.
Eastern Christians, witnesses to these conflicts for centuries, are at the heart of this reflection. They are not merely victims of these crises: their theological tradition, their experience of coexistence, and their memory of the region's successive transformations make them irreplaceable witnesses for thinking through a genuine peace.
This conference brings together scholars from Catholic universities around the world to reflect on the question of peace, around four themes: the theological foundations of peace in the Christian tradition, the role of religions in peace dynamics in the Middle East, the geopolitical transformations of the region, and the contribution of academic knowledge to the building of peace.
This conference will result in an appeal containing concrete proposals, to be presented to the Holy Father.
Be voices of truth, justice and peace.— Pope Leo XIV
Objectives
Our Vision
Actionable Proposals
Translating academic insight into practical frameworks for NGOs, diplomats, and local leaders engaged in peacebuilding.
Global Network
Building a resilient, international network of scholars and practitioners dedicated to supporting minority communities.
Programme
Two Days of Dialogue
Thursday, 5 November 2026
Morning Geopolitics and Regional Transformations
- 9:00 – 9:15 Welcome address - Cardinal Prefect George Jacob Koovakad
-
9:15 – 9:40
Antoine Fleyfel — Institut chrétiens d'Orient, France
Les chrétiens d'Orient, acteurs de paix dans un Orient qui se recompose ?
-
9:40 – 10:00
Roman Fihas — Ukrainian Catholic University, Ukraine
Ecclesial Responsibility in (De)Colonization: Rethinking Peace in the Context of the Russian–Ukrainian War
- 10:00 – 10:15 Break
-
10:15 – 10:35
Wasim Salman — PISAI, Rome
L'instrumentalisation de l'islam politique et ses conséquences sur les chrétiens d'Orient
-
10:35 – 10:55
Lana Kazkaz & Victoria Vanesa Dos Santos — Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain
Digital Rituals: Cultural Identity in Times of Conflict
-
10:55 – 11:15
Christian Cannuyer — Solidarité-Orient, Belgium
Pour un apaisement des violences intercommunautaires religieusement marquées en Égypte
- 11:15 – 11:30 Break
- 11:30 – 12:30 Discussion among speakers and Q&A
- 12:30 – 15:00 Lunch
Afternoon Education, Academic Knowledge, and Peacebuilding
- 15:00 – 15:15 Welcome address
-
15:15 – 15:35
François Boëdec — Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, Lebanon
Le rôle de l'Université chrétienne dans l'éducation et la construction de la paix dans le monde arabe
-
15:35 – 15:55
Eva Saenz-Diez — Universidad de las Hespérides, Spain
Education, Curriculum Reform and Peacebuilding in the Arab World: The Place and the Role of Eastern Christians
- 15:55 – 16:10 Break
-
16:10 – 16:30
Philipp Endres — Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany
Peace amid Competing Narratives? Hagia Sophia and the Search for an Agonistic Memory
-
16:30 – 16:50
Eduard Berdnyk — Ukrainian Catholic University, Ukraine
Academic Knowledge of the Confessional Other as a Resource for Peacebuilding: Ukrainian Seminaries between Clergy Formation and University Education
-
16:50 – 17:10
Mathias Nebel — Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Spain
La paix comme bien commun fondamental : au-delà du paradigme sécuritaire étatique au Moyen-Orient
- 17:10 – 17:25 Break
- 17:25 – 18:30 Discussion among speakers and Q&A
- 18:30 – 18:45 Closing address - Mgr Hugues de Woillemont (Œuvre d’Orient)
Evening
- 20:00 – 22:30 Dinner at the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Holy See, in the presence of ambassadors, NGO directors, entrepreneurs, and academic scholars
Friday, 6 November 2026
Morning Theology of Peace and Christian Traditions
- 9:00 – 9:15 Welcome address - Marta Petrosillo (ACN Italia)
-
9:15 – 9:35
Cardinal Prefect Claudio Gugerotti — Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, Vatican
L’Università e la Pace
-
9:35 – 10:05
Maryann Cusimano Love — Catholic University of America, United States
Rethinking Just Peace through Magnifica Humanitas: Perspectives from Iraq
-
Richard Love — Catholic University of America, United States
Precision Without Peace: Emerging Military Technologies and the Challenges of Conflict Resolution in Ukraine and the Middle East
- 10:05 – 10:20 Break
-
10:20 – 10:40
Charbel Maalouf — Institut chrétiens d'Orient, France
La paix : de l'équilibre stratégique et politique chez les Grecs à la communion en Dieu chez les Pères de l'Église
-
10:40 – 11:00
Yvonne Dohna Schlobitten — Pontificia Università Gregoriana, Vatican
The Metanoia of the Icon of Nicaea. Contemplative Seeing of the Whole as a peaceful Act of Knowledge
-
11:00 – 11:20
Gabriel Hachem — Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik, Lebanon
Les promoteurs des relations œcuméniques et interreligieuses : pierres et ciment pour la restauration de la fraternité et de la paix
- 11:20 – 11:35 Break
- 11:35 – 12:30 Discussion among speakers and Q&A
- 12:30 – 15:00 Lunch
Afternoon Liturgy, Memory, and Institutions in the Service of Peace
- 15:00 – 15:15 Welcome address
-
15:15 – 15:35
Antoine Arjakovsky — Collège des Bernardins, France
Quel rôle jouent et pourraient jouer les universités catholiques pour construire la paix en Europe ?
-
15:35 – 15:55
Efrem YILDIZ — Universidad de Salamanca, Spain
The Meaning of Peace in the Semitic-Biblical Context
- 15:55 – 16:10 Break
-
16:10 – 16:30
Przemysław Nowakowski — The Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow, Poland
L'Eucharistie comme ressource de paix et de réconciliation entre les nations: Allemands - Polonais - Ukrainiens
-
16:30 – 16:50
Manhal Makhoul — Solidarité-Orient, Belgium
La paix comme chemin de réconciliation : paix, pardon et communion dans la liturgie syriaque
-
16:50 – 17:10
Viktoriya Semenova — The Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow, Poland
Wartime Emigration: A Proposal for a Solution Inspired by Roman Law Based on an Analysis of the Attitude of Poles toward Ukrainians
- 17:10 – 17:25 Break
- 17:25 – 18:15 Discussion among speakers and Q&A
- 18:15 – 18:30 Closing address
Logistics
Practical Info
Venue
Pontificio Istituto Orientale
P.za di Santa Maria Maggiore, 7
00185 Roma RM
Languages
French, English, Italian
Lodging
A list of affiliated religious guesthouses and hotels with special conference rates will be provided upon registration.
Under the patronage of
With the support of
With our sincere thanks to our partners and benefactors
