Cardinal Koch Talks on Recognition

Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontificial Council for Promoting Christian Unity, visited the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Theology on Tuesday 28 April.

The event took place in the Faculty Hall, and the title of Cardinal Koch's presentation was "The Ecumenical Recognition of Baptism". The talk itself, together with the ensuing conversation, provided a very interesting case of the topic of recognition.

The occasion was chaired by the Dean of the Faculty, Ismo Dunderberg. The Faculty Hall was packed full of audience, and the University's Chancellor Thomas Wilhelmsson was also in attendance.

After the Cardinal's talk, there were responses by representatives of the two Centres of Excellence at the Faculty of Theology, Professors Anneli Aejmelaeus and Risto Saarinen.

Cardinal Koch then proceeded to comment the responses by Aejmelaeus and Saarinen.

Before conclusion, the floor was opened for discussion. Bishop emeritus Eero Huovinen was among those who used the opportunity.

Our CoE to Appear in Atlanta

As a result of our inspired teamwork, the Centre of Excellence Reason and Religious Recognition got a special 2,5-hour session to the program of the American Academy of Religion’s Annual Meeting in Atlanta USA in November 2015. Our session’s title is ‘From Tolerance to Recognition: Recognition and the Acceptance of Otherness’.

The speakers of our session include Olli-Pekka Vainio, Aku Visala, Panu-Matti Pöykkö, Minna Hietamäki, Elina Hellqvist, Ritva Palmén, Heikki J. Koskinen, Anna-Liisa Tolonen, Joona Salminen, and Timothy Riggs. The event will be presided by our CoE leader Risto Saarinen, and as distinguished commentators, we have Jan-Olav Henriksen from the Norwegian School of Theology and Robert Orsi from the Northwestern University.

For us, this is a great opportunity to present our work to an American and international audience. AAR’s Annual Meetings are the world’s largest events in the fields of religious studies and theology, bringing together around 10.000 people. In addition to the special session, our CoE will also make an appearance in the meeting’s Nordic Reception.

● A link to AAR’s page

● A link to the Annual Meeting’s page