CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN CHURCHES : ONLINE ACADEMY ON POPULISM, DIVERSITY AND DEMOCRACY

                        

Conference of European Churches                            

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) will hold an Online Academy on Populism, Diversity and Democracy from 21 to 22 June 2021, under the theme “Europe challenged by populism: Churches as ‘salt of the earth’? How to contribute to living peacefully together in diversity”.

The academy will address how churches all over Europe are challenged by populism, finding themselves in the need of defining positions or marking limits. Populist movement by its very name aims to speak to the people, an aspiration also shared by the churches as well. However, at the same time, in reality, many populist movements are looking for simplistic solutions for complex societal developments.

To address these crucial questions, the academy will bring together participants from various backgrounds from across Europe, offering a space for dialogue and learning.

The online academy will feature presentations from prominent church leaders and experts, as well as interactive workshops and in-depth discussions on the theme.

Among the speakers will be Christel Ngnambi, political scientist and co-author of the book Is God a populist?, Archbishop Antje Jackelén from the Church of Sweden, Bishop Nick Baines, Church of England, Dr Adrian Papahagi from Babes-Bolyai University, Romania, Professor Paolo Naso from Sapienza University Rome, coordinator of Mediterranean Hope, a project of the Federation of the Protestant Churches in Italy, Dr Zoltán Lomnici, lawyer and former lecturer of  the Department of Constitutional Law at the Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, Fr. Dr Cristian Sonea, from The Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and Alex Wimberly, Community Leader at Corrymeela, Peace and Reconciliation Centre, Northern Ireland.

Inspired by the biblical premise of Matthew 5:13, the sessions will address following topics:

• Europe challenged by populism: Churches as “the salt of the earth”? How to contribute to living peacefully together in diversity
• Populism in society: tasty or tasteless? An attempt at understanding.
• Salt of the earth: The role of the churches in a pluralistic society in the 21st century
• Salt as an antiseptic: how to heal wounds of division
• Salt in the soup: how to create a sense of community

To register for the event, please click here

Download full programme schedule