01/07/2026 18:30 - 19:30

HALL: Pola - A105

Contact: Kovacs A.

Chair: Simut C.

The panel' goal is to reveal how East-Central European religous communities relate to the struggle for political and economic hegemony exposed by Russia, the USA and the EU for the past 30 years. People feel marginalised as third-class citizens in Europe. Although the West portrays itself reducing and quenching inequalities through commitments to equality but what is their 'Pax Romana' message at its core? It is common knowledge that from the Baltic states down to Bulgaria, the string of post-communist nations constitute a buffer zone for the world's two largest military powers, namely the USA and Russia. The formation and establishment of the EU, as well as its subsequent extension have raised several vital issues for those countries. The region experienced an extremely fast capitalist change from communism to open markets, which resembled what was often designated as the 'wild East', having thus little time to digest the ensuing freedom that was interrupted on occasion by the Balkan war and more recently by the war in Ukraine. Speakers will also seek to investigate how nations churches or political establishments responded to democracy, capitalism, and the imperialist endeavours. Questions will be pursued such as: is nationalist Christian identity a viable corrective to certain Westerm form of liberalism? The former Communist elites have been clinging to power for the past three decades; thus, is this still a valid issue in the region both in the churches and societies. It is believed that these issues are also inextricably connected to the reshaping of Communism into Nationalism by the very same group of elitist individuals/groups Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia. Second, the economic exploitation of the Post-Soviet Countries and the wonders of free Market will be exposed. Third, it is posed that a critical stance against Russia and Western spiritual or political Powers perceived as imperialistic causing various forms of inequalities will be addressed.