Conference to mark 225th anniversary of UOC eparchy held in Kharkiv

The international conference took place in four sections. Photo: Kharkiv Theological Seminary

On 7 November, during the IV International Scientific-Practical Conference at the bishop's residence on the territory of the Intercession Monastery in Kharkiv, the topic "Current Issues of Theology and Church History" was discussed. According to the website of the theological educational institution, the forum was also dedicated to the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the Kharkiv Eparchy.

Before the plenary session, the participants of the conference were presented with the exhibition "Unpreserved Churches of Kharkiv Province".

The session began with a message from His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, read by the First Vice-Rector of the Kharkiv Theological Seminary, Archpriest Valentyn Kovalchuk. In his address, the Primate congratulated the organizers and participants of the forum, noting that such events allow for the exchange of experiences, drawing conclusions, and enriching participants with new knowledge.

Metropolitan Onuphry of Kharkiv and Bohodukhiv, greeting the participants and guests of the conference, emphasized that "over the 225 years of its existence, the Kharkiv Eparchy has walked a thorny but worthy path of service to God."

The First Vice-Rector, Father Valentyn, also read a greeting from the Rector of the Christian Theological Academy in Warsaw, Archbishop Georgy (Pankovsky) of Wrocław and Szczecin. Archbishop Georgiy noted that the conference is being held during a difficult time for both the Kharkiv Eparchy and the country as a whole.

The plenary speeches began with a report by Metropolitan Ignatius of Mexico, Venezuela, Central America and the Caribbean from the Antiochian Orthodox Church on the topic "Biblical Reflections on the Antiochian Orthodox Mission". Following that, Proto-Deacon Maksym Talalay, head of the Church-Historical Museum of the Kharkiv Eparchy, delivered a report titled "Holy Names in the Book of Genesis of the Kharkiv Eparchy in the 20th Century".

After the plenary session, an excursion was held for the conference guests at the Church-Historical Museum of the Kharkiv Eparchy.

The conference continued its work in four sections: Historical Path of Orthodoxy, Philosophical-Theological, Orthodox Pedagogy and Psychology and Christian Culture in Search of Truth.

Participants in the sectional sessions included faculty and students from both religious and secular educational institutions from Ukraine, Poland and Germany. Some participants attended remotely.

The conference concluded with the final plenary session, where the results were summarized.

As reported by the UOJ, the UOC in Kharkiv opened an exhibition dedicated to the lost churches of the 20th century.

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