IPSEC International Consultations

 First International Consultation – June 29-July 3, 2009

IPSEC’s first international expert consultation was organized at the Patriarchal Palace of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Bucharest, Romania, during June 29, July 3, 2010, together with the World Council of Churches (Geneva, Switzerland) The Institute for Theology and Peace (Hamburg, Germany), Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate (Bucharest, Romania) and with the endorsement of the Boston Theological Institute (Boston, USA).

Theme: The theme of the consultation was “Orthodox Peace Ethics in Eastern and Oriental Christianity,” exploring questions such as: “What is the core teaching of the Eastern Church on peace and peaceful coexistence?” “Does the Eastern Church endorse war?” “Is war holy? Is war a lesser evil or a lesser good?”

Purpose: The purpose of this pan-Orthodox consultation was to explore the ethics for peace as they emerged in the history of the Eastern Church. Recognizing the great historic, cultural and anthropologic variety of experiences undergone by each local Eastern Church – ranging from Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Greek, Latin, Slavic and contemporary Orthodox Diaspora – Jesus’ teachings on non-retaliation have occasionally been deformed and interpreted in line with the needs of the time. As no pan-orthodox synod endorsed a Just War theory, the agony of war often created sentiments of self-righteousness, while inflicting pain and suffering unto the enemies. In order to reach a comprehensive understanding of the ethics for peace in Eastern Christianity, the participants are invited to reflect historically and theologically over the experience of their local Church with issues such as: blessing weapons in times of warfare, the role of canonical tradition, the relationship between Church and State, Nationalism, globalization, sentiments of victimization, traditional perceptions of Good and Evil, role of chaplaincy, etc. (details on subsidiary page…)

Second International Consultation (Damascus, Syria, October 18-22, 2010)

IPSEC’s second international expert consultation emerged from the outcome from Bucharest, and will be organized at the St. Christophoros Patriarchal Monastery the Antiochian Conventions Center in Saydnaya (near Damascus) Syria, October 18-22, 2010. The consultation is organized together with the World Council of Churches (Geneva, Switzerland) The Institute for Theology and Peace (Hamburg, Germany), and the Patriarchate of Antioch (Syria).

Theme: The first consultation on Orthodox Peace Ethics in Bucharest (July 2009), has given insight into the rich tradition of the Orthodox theology on peace as well as the relevance of historical circumstances for the formulation of ethical positions that need further reflection and development in the 21st century.

Purpose: T The understanding of peace-oriented justice is rooted in a long ethical and canonical tradition that goes back to the definitions offered by the Roman jurists Celsus and Ulpianus, adopted by the Byzantine State as guiding principles for social justice. While Celsus (+129AD) defined justice as “the art of good and equity,” (jus est ars boni et aequi), Ulpianus (170-228AD) emphasized its distributive aspect, saying that, “justice is the constant and perpetual desire to give everyone his due.” (Justitia est constans et perpetua voluntas, jus suum cuique tribuendi) He described the purpose of justice in non-violent terms saying that, “the precepts of justice are these: to live honestly, to harm no one, and to give everyone his due.” (“Juris praecepta sunt haec: honeste vivere, alterum non laedere, suum cuique tribuere” (Justinian, Institutes I, I, 3; Digest, I, I, 10)

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