With the blessing of Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa, the official opening of the international conference, “Alexandria and the West: Ecclesiastical History and Geopolitics”, will take place on Friday, 24 April 2026, in the Conference Hall of the Patriarchal Library of Alexandria.
Organised by the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa in collaboration with the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice and the Eusebius Lab, the conference will bring together distinguished academics and researchers from Greece and abroad.
Holding the conference in the historic city of Alexandria, where theological thought flourished, and eminent Church figures such as Saint Athanasius the Great and Saint Cyril of Alexandria emerged, carries particular symbolism. It is no coincidence that, in a place where civilisations and spiritual traditions have met for centuries, theological dialogue between East and West is being rekindled today with renewed dynamism and perspective.
The conference proceedings are expected to highlight the enduring course of relations between the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the West through presentations of a high academic standard, shedding light on theological, historical, and geopolitical dimensions while emphasising the contemporary common witness of the Church in the face of modern challenges.
On the occasion of the conference, which begins tomorrow, the Patriarch made the following statement:
“The Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa is not limited to safeguarding the Sacred Tradition. Alongside its great missionary and philanthropic work, it is also called upon today to play a leading role in theological dialogue and to bear witness to the Church in the modern world.”
Alexandria has always been a meeting place for peoples, cultures, and ideas — a place where theology has been tested and flourished. It is therefore no coincidence that the invitation to dialogue, encounter, and unity is being renewed from this very place today.
The Patriarchate of Alexandria is consistently and visionarily preparing for the organisation of new international conferences and meetings that will strengthen inter-Christian and interreligious dialogue, highlighting its enduring contribution to this field throughout the centuries. At the same time, theological and academic conferences addressing contemporary issues such as bioethics and the challenges of our time are being planned.
The Patriarch emphasised that the Church embraces dialogue with discernment, guiding it along the path of truth and love.”
The conference proceedings will begin on Friday, April 24, with the first session, which will be chaired by Professor Emmanuel Karageorgoudis, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Official greetings will then be delivered at 18:30 by Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa; the Hellenic Republic’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andreas Loverdos; the Consul of Greece in Alexandria, Ioannis Pyrgakis; and Vasileios Koukouzas, Professor at the Faculty of Theology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and President of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice.
The keynote address will follow at 19:10, delivered by Associate Professor and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice, Mr Panagiotis Tzoumerkas, on the topic: ‘Alexandria and the West: Convergences and Divergences”.
On Saturday, 25 April, the Second Session will continue the proceedings. This session will be chaired by Professor Ioannis Panagiotopoulos, Head of the Department of Theology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
The following will be presented in this morning’s session: Professor Apostolos Kralidis (President of the Department of Social Theology and Christian Culture at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) on religious pluralism and the formation of identities in Late Antiquity; Associate Professor Grigorios Liantas and Postdoctoral Researcher Nikolaos Tzoumerkas on the issue of primacy in the correspondence of Pope Gregory I; Professor Christos Arampatzis on patristic authority and ecclesiastical diplomacy
Subsequently, during the third session, chaired by Professor Kralidis, the following presentations will be delivered: Professor Ioannis Panagiotopoulos will address the position of the Patriarchate of Alexandria regarding the conflict between Old and New Rome during the time of Photius the Great. Professor and Dean Emmanuel Karageorgoudis will speak on Cyril Lucaris, and Professor Athanasios Kapsalis will speak on Christian life in Mamluk Alexandria.
During the fourth session, which will be chaired by Professor Athanasios Kapsalis, Assistant Professor Georgios Pitsinelis will give a presentation on the Alexandrian patristic tradition in the West, and Assistant Professor Aikaterini Korre will give a presentation on the geopolitical and economic dimension of the southeastern Mediterranean.
The day’s proceedings will conclude with the fifth session, chaired by associate professor Panagiotis Tzoumerkas. During this session, the following topics will be discussed: Bishop Damaskinos of Mareotis will discuss relations between the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Church of Rome in the 20th and 21st centuries, and Dr George Farag, a theologian, will address relations between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
There will then be a discussion, after which Georgios Pitsinelis and Aikaterini Korre will give their concluding remarks. The conference will close at 19:50 with a speech by His Beatitude the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Theodore II, and Professor Vasileios Koukouzas.
Please note that the Conference Organising Committee consists of Bishop Damaskinos of Mareotis, Dr George Farag, and Postdoctoral Researcher Nikolaos Tzoumerkas.
The Scientific Committee comprises Metropolitan George of Guinea and Mauritius, Professor Vasileios Koukouzas, and Associate Professor Panagiotis Tzoumerkas.
Faithful to its mission, the Patriarchate of Alexandria continues to serve as a beacon of theological thought, unity, and dialogue, bearing witness to the living presence of Orthodoxy in the contemporary world.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
