Academic year 2008-2009: Inaugural Speech (30.10.08) - ISTITUTO DI STUDI ECUMENICI SAN BERNARDINO

Academic year 2008-09: Inaugural Speech

(30.10.2008)

The inaugural lecture for the opening of the St. Bernadine Ecumenical Studies Institute academic year 2008-2009 was held at San Pasquale Hall on October 30th 2008.

In his presentation, the Dean Father Roberto Girardo OFM recalled the activities of the Institute during the past year, underlining three elements in particular: the significant number of students who obtained the Degree in Ecumenical Theology; increasing scientific cooperation at the international level; and, renovations of the Institute including the extension of the teaching area and of the library.

Also mentioned was the imminent commencement of activities of the Higher Education Ecumenical Centre in Italy. Although the Center will be hosted at the Institute, the two institutions will maintain juridical, scientific and economic independence. The Dean expressed his warmest thanks to mons. Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, for accepting to give the inaugural speech. He recalled the many occasions when mons. Coccopalmerio showed his support for our Institute and his participation in the Ecumenical dialogue in Italy.

Mons. Coccopalmerio tackled the theme Walking towards full unity. Recent Ecumenical steps of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. In his lecture, mons. Coccopalmerio, who is also a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, began with Benedict XVI's «Ecumenical priority», recalling some speeches made on this subject during the first three years of his pontificate.

Then he expanded on Benedict XVI's action to strengthen dialogue with the Orthodox world, in particular the revitalization of the activity of the Catholic-Orthodox Mixed Theology Commission which compiled the so-called Ravenna Document, published in November 2007. Mons. Coccopalmerio also presented a brief overview of the position of the interOrthodox debate on unity, especially relations between Constantinople and Moscow taking into account the meetings in recent months, the first taking place in Kiev for the 1020th anniversary of evangelization in Ukraine, and the second in Constantinople for a debate amongst autocephalous churches.

Finally he spoke on the position of Catholic-Orthodox dialogue in Italy, asserting that the large and widespread presence of Orthodox communities is an asset for the Church in Italy. He underlined that this path of knowledge and sharing must be continued in the manner of recent years when many Catholics in Italy were able to accept, not only materially, the spiritual and theological legacy of the Christian East.