risu.ua - 2026-01-16 - Sixteen speakers from various countries engaged around several key thematic blocks: the identity of the Eastern Catholic Churches; the life and challenges of the Eastern Catholic Churches in the diaspora; the service of these Churches to other Christian communities and to wider society; their relationship with Rome; and contemporary challenges and prospects for the development of liturgical life.
The conference was held with the support of l’Œuvre d’Orient. Opening remarks were delivered by Mgr Hugo de Woillemont, Director of l’Œuvre d’Orient; Bishop Hlib Lonchyna, Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy of Saint Volodymyr the Great in Paris; Fr. Roman Fihas, Director of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies; and Prof. Antoine Fleyfel, Director of the Institut chrétiens d’Orient.
We present here a summary of the main ideas expressed at the conference.
Identity of the Eastern Catholic Churches
In his paper “At the Dawn of the Third Century of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church: Melkite Identity as an Identity of Tension?”, Fr. Dr. Charbel Maalouf emphasizes a principle that is important for all Churches: at the foundation of ecclesial identity lies neither ethnicity, nor fidelity to established forms, nor institutional self-sufficiency, but the paschal logic of the Christian faith – life that passes through death to resurrection and therefore is not afraid of death.
Contnue reading at: Eastern Catholics: the Identity of Responsible Presence - RISU