wfn.org | CONFERENCE ON PLURALISM OPENS AT HOLY CROSS WITH KEYNOTE BY

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS
		    GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2002

Contact: Nikki Stournaras
(617) 850-1213
Office of the Dean
Holy Cross School of Theology

		 CONFERENCE ON PLURALISM OPENS AT HOLY CROSS

		    WITH KEYNOTE BY ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS

Brookline,  MA	?  The	International  Conference  entitled  "The  Orthodox
Churches  in  a  Pluralistic  World:  An Ecumenical Conversation" opened on
Thursday,  October  3  with  the keynote address of His Eminence Archbishop
Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. The conference,
which is jointly sponsored by Holy Cross and the World Council of Churches,
and  presented in cooperation with the Boston Theological Institute and the
Initiatives  in  Religion  and	Public	Life  at  Harvard  Divinity School,
includes  presentations  by many renowned theologians and scholars who have
come  together	to  address the challenge of globalization, issues of human
rights,  religious  violence,  ethnicity  and  nationalism,  and  Christian
missions.

Rev.  Father  Nicholas	Triantafilou,  President  of  Hellenic College/Holy
Cross,	opened	the  conference by welcoming the participants and attendees
and  by  emphasizing  the  significance  of the meeting for the school.  He
affirmed  that	the  purpose of Holy Cross "is to educate and train priests
and  laity  who  will participate in God's mission for the salvation of the
world.	 Holy  Cross is the space of creative and bold theological thinking
that  empowers	those  who  serve  the	Church	to  respond to her pastoral
challenges in our complex, fast-changing and pluralistic world."

In  his  address,  Archbishop  Demetrios  acknowledged that "In a period of
rapid globalization, in a world community that is increasingly conscious of
its  pluralistic  character, the Orthodox Churches meet a great challenge."
He  stated,  however,  "that  the word challenge is to be understood in the
most  positive	and  optimistic  sense.   The  pluralistic  world is not an
obstacle  to  Orthodoxy;  it  is  rather  an opportunity.  In a pluralistic
global	 society,   the   Orthodox   Church  is  challenged  to  match	her
incarnational Christology with an equally incarnational ecclesiology."

After  presenting  a  short analysis of the nature of the challenge and its
context,  he  offered  three  distinct	suggestions  for  responding to the
"pluralistic  challenge".   First,  he	affirmed  Pentecost  as  a model of
response,  as Orthodox Churches have labored through the centuries to adapt
language  and  liturgy to the specific needs and cultural elements of local
communities.   Second,	he  affirmed the Orthodox concept of personhood, an
understanding  that  is critical in this age of globalization.	Finally, he
acknowledged  the  need for a parish pluralism, a model of community church
life  rooted  in the Eucharist, engaged socially, and exemplifying unity in
diversity.

The  conference  will continue on Friday with addresses by Dr. Richard Falk
of Princeton University, Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Clapsis, Dean of Holy Cross, Dr.
David  Little  of  the	Harvard  Divinity  School, Dr. Christos Yannaras of
Panteion University in Greece, and an evening address by Dr. Konrad Raiser,
General Secretary of the World Council of Churches.

For  texts  of	the  addresses,  as  well  as  other conference information
including  the full schedule for Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5,
please		visit	       the	   special	   web	       site
http://www.goarch.org/en/special/hchc_conference/.
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