Interorthodox Relations and Ecumenism

Eastern Christianity usually understands the Church as a mystery, where no designation or name could properly express the whole reality of the Church, known only to God. Human language is believed to be insufficient to express this mystery. Yet, this mystery is the departure point for how various Christian Orthodox communities relate to each other, and how they together seek to express their common participation in this mystery. It also seems to be compatible with political developments in the international sphere. This course will explore how the Church as a theological entity influences and is influenced by international relations and ecumenism, both in the past and the present.By the end of the course, the student is expected to be able to:- identify the current issues of the inter-Orthodox relations;- suggest solutions to these issues on the basis of their understanding of the inter-Orthodox unity;- correlate inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian relations;- deconstruct anti-ecumenical Orthodox narratives and construct relevant counter-narratives;