29 February 2020
The Volos Academy for Theological Studies (VATS) is a Research Center located in the city of Volos, Greece, specializing in the history and theology of contemporary Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.
Volos Academy is worldwide well-known for its modern/post-modern agenda for Orthodox theology, and the series of international seminars, conferences, lectures, round tables, and publications it organized on topics such as Orthodoxy and Modernity, Orthodoxy and Secularization, Orthodoxy and Human Rights, Theology and Modern Literature, Theology and Philosophy, Ecumenical and Interreligious dialogue, Political theology, Public theology, Feminist theology, Religion and Globalization, Religious nationalism and fundamentalism, Migration as theological challenge, and more.
It was established in 2000 as a forum of thought and dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the broader scholarly community worldwide, while in 2014 it has been recognized by the Greek Ministry of Education and Research (Law No 4310/2014) as a national research infrastructure of excellence for theological and religious studies.
Its continuous work is supported by grants and donations coming from the local Orthodox Diocese of Demetrias in Volos, but also from International Organizations and Foundations: among others Virginia Farah Foundation (USA), World Council of Churches (WCC), Bread for the World (Berlin), as well as a program agreement concluded with the Greek Ministry of Education.
Visual: Group Photo of the conference at Volos “Politics, Society and Culture in Orthodox Theology in a Global Age”, 6-9 February 2020
