On June 29-30, 2023, the Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv) hosted an international conference titled “Church Diplomacy and the Religious Dimension of the Russian-Ukrainian War.”
The event was a part of a joint research project between the Institute of Church History at UCU and the University of Notre Dame (USA), titled “Religion, Religious Diplomacy, and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine.”
The conference convened scholars from Ukraine, USA, Israel, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Georgia, and Poland.
The University of Notre Dame has taken an extraordinary step to meet our university’s needs by allocating a reasonably large amount of money for research. This is highly symbolic and significant for us. Despite the ongoing war, our partners from the Catholic University of Notre Dame recognize the importance of developing analytical thinking and exploring new research areas that take into account the Ukrainian experience.
Our conference aims to address both profound theoretical aspects to identify the foundations and demonstrate where within the Christian experience these foundations can be found. Additionally, it focuses on practical aspects, aiming to identify effective approaches, with the involvement of international experts, for us Ukrainians to openly discuss our concerns and the issues that trouble us.
The current situation is unique; due to the ongoing war, Ukraine has garnered unprecedented support and global attention. Within this context, we believe that together we can find answers not only to our internal problems but also to questions that affect people worldwide.
