21/05/2024 14:15 - 16:30

HALL: STERI - CHIESA DI S. ANTONIO ABATE

Proponent: Bruckner I.

Chair: Bruckner I.

Speaker: Bruckner I., Luhmann L., Mandelkow K., Seminikhin N., Steinwender M.

Already in the 1950s, Karl Rahner characterized the Church in the contemporary (post-)secular
societies as a "Church of the Diaspora." The paradigmatic shift, from a Church of the majority to a
Church of the minority is, according to Rahner, in terms of the history of salvation, a "must" which
cannot be ignored, but has to be acknowledged to draw conclusions about the present and future
possibilities of a Christian existence. This changing reality has, in fact, impacted European
monasticism, which hasshaped the spiritual and cultural landscape of Europe since the Early Middle
Ages. While monasteries are sometimes thought of as the last places of religious refuge amidst
secularity, or the only remaining functioning structures of a lived ecclesial spirituality, they do, at
the same time, often face crucial substantial problems regarding their human and financial
resources. This panel reflects the challenges, but also the role and potential of today's diasporic
monastic communities within contemporary European society. From a multidisciplinary perspective
(philosophical, theological, historical, ecumenical) the panel will examine the genuine resources of
the monastic tradition that contribute to the development of the cultural, aesthetical, and spiritual
heritage of Europe.