What Is IOTA?

Founded in 2017, the International Orthodox Theological Association is a community of scholars and professionals dedicated to the worldwide exchange of knowledge within the context of the Orthodox Tradition. IOTA organizes international conferences and facilitates group research projects; the association contributes to the growth and renewal of the Orthodox Church by supporting pan-Orthodox unity and conciliarity. As a pan-Orthodox nonprofit organization, IOTA does not belong to any one local Church and strives to maintain constructive relations with the leaders of all Orthodox Churches.

IOTA Private Audience with Pope Leo XIV, 7 June 2025

The IOTA conference “Nicaea and the Church of the Third Millennium: Towards Catholic-Orthodox Unity” culminated Saturday with a private audience in the Vatican with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. IOTA President Paul Gavrilyuk and Board Members were welcomed by the Pontiff in the Vatican’s Sala Clementina and joyfully presented him with gifts of IOTA memorabilia. In a warm personal address many found spiritually moving, Pope Leo greeted the delegation as brothers and sisters on the eve of Pentecost, urging all to “remember that the unity for which Christians long will not be primarily the fruit of our own efforts, nor will it be realized through any preconceived model or blueprint. Rather, unity will be a gift received ‘as Christ wills and by the means that he wills’ (Prayer for Unity of Father Paul Couturier), by the working of the Holy Spirit.”

Following a remarkably successful conference in Rome, we have exciting news. IOTA has received a matching grant challenge of up to $100,000. Any donations to IOTA’s Future Leaders Program made between now and the end of November 2025 will be fully matched up to $100,000. With sufficient donations, this gift will have a transformative impact upon the shape of IOTA’s ecumenical education for emerging leaders. For more information on Future Leaders Program, visit this page: https://iota-web.org/program-description/. A link for donations, can be found at https://iota-web.org/donations/give-to-iota/. We are deeply grateful for support from individuals or organizations at any level.

Author Teresa Obolevitch presents an intellectual biography of one of the most prominent Orthodox women theologians of the twentieth century, Myrrha Lot-Borodine (1882–1957). The volume discusses her creative path, her ecumenical and charitable activities, and the major topics of her research in medieval literature and patristics. It also considers Lot-Borodine’s relations with the prominent Russian émigré thinkers of the 20th century, such as Nicolas Berdyaev, Fr. Georges Florovsky, and Vladimir Lossky.

For anyone interested in the ongoing engagement between Orthodox East and Catholic West, this book is not to be missed.

IOTA consists of 29 groups, each representing a distinct knowledge domain pertinent to Orthodox Christian Studies. The groups are led by 60 internationally respected Orthodox scholars from over twenty countries.

IOTA Groups