UCU establishes Center for Religious Culture
This was reported by the UCU website on July 1.
The new institution was founded as an interdisciplinary academic center based on the educational and research program "Kyiv Christianity", jointly implemented by the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology of UCU.
The center will coordinate the educational and scientific activities of the University chairs related to fundamental critical research of the theological, canonical and socio-cultural sources of the Tradition of the Kyiv Metropolia in the broader comparative context of the universal Christian traditions of Byzantium, the Latin West and Eastern Orthodox communities, as well as the reception in the Slavic lands of the Uniate idea.
The Center will focus on an interdisciplinary study of the Kyivan Tradition that has developed on the civilizational borderline. Its other task is to create an expert environment for understanding the ecclesiastical, historical and cultural heritage of the Churches of the Kyivan Christian Tradition.
The methodological basis of the research program of the Center is built upon the concepts “Kyivan Church”, “Kyivan Christian tradition”, “Kyivan Christianity” and “Slavia Unita”. Their introduction into public discourse makes possible the public articulation of the idea of the Kyivan Church. It marks the millennial connection between Ukrainian culture and Christianity and the unity of the Ukrainian Churches of St Volodymyr's Baptism.
It is assumed that the Center will work closely with the Patriarchal Curia and dioceses of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, cooperate with Orthodox communities, international partners and Ukrainian academic institutions. The center's diverse activities in the following areas planned within the framework of the UCU are as follows:
- development of normative and thematic educational and specialized courses for students and postgraduates;
- popularization of the Center's scope of themes in the University community;
- implementation of joint scientific and educational projects;
- conducting scientific and popular scientific conferences, educational and educational expeditions and cultural and educational events;
- publication of monographic research, thematic scientific collections, a series of source materials, reference literature, textbooks and manuals within the publishing series “Kyivan Christianity”.
Professor Igor Skochylas, Chair of the Faculty of History, was appointed Head of the Center for Religious Culture of UCU. The main staff of the Centre are Ivan Almes, Candidate of Historical Sciences, and Doctor of Theology Taras Shmanko. They also coordinate the Kyivan Christianity academic program respectively, at the Humanitarian Faculty and Philosophy and Theology Faculties of UCU.
