Our shared responsibility in edifying a culture of peace in our communities, with global implications, is not merely an option – but an urgent duty to ensure that peace no longer only means a respite achieved in the absence of war.
In today's society, where differences are used as pretexts for division, ecumenism and interfaith dialogue – together with accurate and clear information disseminated by the academic milieu – represent two complementary pillars we require in order to remind ourselves of the true meaning of humanity. Dialogue is no longer a theological or academic luxury, but a shield for all of civil society against radicalization and division. Violence and hatred invoked in the name of God are, in fact, the greatest denial of His Divine Grace.
Emil Constantinescu
President of the Levant Institute of Advanced Studies for the Culture of Peace
President of Romania from 1996 to 2000
It is a special privilege for Romania to host this international gathering. Romania is more than just the venue for this congress. Over time, it has served as a natural meeting point between the Christian East and West, between scholarship and faith, and between historical memory and the future.
Cătălin-Ștefan Popa,
Chair of the World Congress of Syriac Studies and of the International Conference on Christian Arab Studies,
Director-general of the Levant Institute of Advanced Studies for the Culture of Peace
The official opening of the World Congress of Syriac Studies and the International Conference on Christian Arab Studies at the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest brought together leading figures from public, academic, and religious life, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Romania. By hosting these events, Romania demonstrates its capacity of hosting an academic event of international significance, and of contributing to promoting dialogue among different cultures, traditions, and communities. By bringing together prestigious researchers, religious leaders and representatives of international institutions, the World Congress of Syriac Studies reinforces Romania's profile as a hub for academic and cultural dialogue and for the protection of tangible and intangible heritage.
Today, Bucharest has revived the Romanian tradition of an abiding interest in Eastern Christian heritage and in major academic gatherings dedicated to the Eastern world. In this regard, one can speak of the symbolic continuity of the present Congress with the tradition inaugurated by Nicolae Iorga in 1924, when he organized the first International Congress of Byzantine Studies in Bucharest – one of the gatherings that marked the development of international research dedicated to the Eastern Christian world.
The Congress' opening ceremony, hosted by Dr. Cătălin-Ștefan Popa, the Institute's Director-general, saw the following speakers address the assembled audience: Emeritus Professor Emil Constantinescu, President of the Levant Institute of Advanced Studies for the Culture of Peace and President of Romania from 1996 to 2000; His Holiness Mar Awa III, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East; Wilhelm Dancă, Vice-President of the Romanian Academy, László Borbély, representing the Romanian Government's Department for Sustainable Development; and Ioan Vulpescu, President of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy.
The significance of the event was also underscored by messages sent by His Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and His Holiness Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East. His Eminence Nifon, Archbishop of Târgoviște, Honorary Metropolitan, and Patriarchal Exarch, conveyed the message of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, while Fr. Daniel Bulai, Episcopal Vicar, conveyed the message of His Excellency Aurel Percă, Archbishop-Metropolitan of Bucharest.
Beyond their symbolic and spiritual dimensions, the World Congress of Syriac Studies and the International Conference on Christian Arab Studies constitute landmark academic events, bringing together 400 specialists from 33 countries and 176 renowned universities worldwide dedicated to researching and promoting the heritage of Eastern Christianity. The fields covered, ranging from history, theology, and philology to the study of manuscripts, literature, and the culture of Eastern Christian communities, reflect the complexity of a cultural heritage of universal value.
Its hosting of the World Congress of Syriac Studies and the International Conference on Christian Arabic Studies continues Romania's long-standing historical relationship with the Eastern Christian world. Over the centuries, Romania has been linked to the great spiritual centers of the East through the support offered by Romanian rulers to the Eastern Patriarchates, through cultural exchanges, and through the circulation of ideas, books, and religious traditions. Today, this legacy is being carried forward through academic and cultural dialogue, reaffirming Romania's role as a meeting place between East and West.
