Saints Cyril and
Methodius: A Bridge between the Eastern and Western Church
ROME, February 14, 2013 thanks to Zenit.org – The two brothers, Cyril and
Methodius – the saints and co-patrons of Europe whose feast day is today,
February 14, according to the Roman calendar – are the bridge between the
Byzantine and Slavic worlds. Their work of spreading the faith through the creation
of the Glagolitic alphabet is a sign of overcoming geographical and cultural
boundaries in the process of constructing Christian identity.
The International Congress “Sts.
Cyril and Methodius among the Slavs: 1150 years since the beginning of the mission”
will be spread over two days: the first, February 25, will be held at the
Pontifical Oriental Institute, and the second, February 26, at the Pontifical
Gregorian University.
The celebration of the event in the academic world – as part of
the calendar for the Year of Faith proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI – is a very
timely exhortation to evangelize as an ecumenical action of unity in the
Church, remembering their mission as a significant action of a particularly
prophetic ecumenical nature.
The more meaningful questions and issues will be taken up and
developed by the speakers invited to speak, vis-à-vis
different contexts: historical, political, ecclesiological, liturgical,
ecumenical, in full respect for the continuity of tradition, and through a comparison
and analysis of the new missionary methods.
The creators and organizers of the event are His Eminence Cardinal
Jozef Tomko (Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of
Peoples), and His Excellency Archbishop Cyril Vasil (Secretary of the
Congregation for the Oriental Churches), who will be assisted by a committee of
Slovakian professors and collaborators for the scientific preparation of the
event.
For more information on the International Congress, go to: www.pontificio-orientale.com