2026 IOTA Colloquia

The IOTA Colloquia Program supports conferences, symposiums, workshops, and other events that advance our mission, foster synergy between the academy and the church, uphold the highest academic standards, lead to publications, and include no less than ten current IOTA members as either speakers or session chairs or attendees.

In 2026, IOTA is supporting the following colloquia with a grant of $3,000 each.

Orthodox Theology in the Public Sphere: Reclaiming a Credible Public Voice

This workshop explores how Orthodox theology communicates in contemporary Europe, focusing on the voices involved, their audiences, the media used, and the theological and social implications. By analysing sermons, public statements, opinion pieces, digital platforms, academic contributions, and institutional documents, the workshop examines how Orthodox voices can engage in democratic and pluralistic societies. It aims to do this without falling into civil-religious ideology or retreating into isolated ecclesiastical commentary. Participants will discuss the key tensions influencing Orthodox public discourse today, including tradition versus modernity, authority versus accountability, national narratives versus catholicity, and identity versus hospitality. They will also address the challenges of polarization, misinformation, and geopolitical manipulation. The workshop’s goal is to establish criteria for a theologically grounded, ethically responsible, and publicly comprehensible Orthodox public voice—one that remains sensitive to the lived experiences in European societies and the broader Orthodox world.

Orthodoxy and Human Rights in Times of War

This project gathers a geographically diverse, interdisciplinary group of scholars for a workshop to explore the parameters of Orthodox thought on the meanings of war and the intersections of war and human rights. Three main questions will be addressed: 1. How do we conceptualize war in the Orthodox tradition? 2. How have relationships between Orthodox churches and states (including configurations in states with both Orthodox majority and minority populations) shaped Orthodox thought and practices related to war? and 3. What are the human rights implications of thus problematizing the concept of war? This is a joint initiative led by Prof. Elizabeth Prodromou (Co-chair of Orthodoxy, Politics, and International Relations Group and Dr. Effie Fokas (Co-chair of Orthodoxy, Culture, and the Public Square Group). Participants will work towards publication of a journal special issue and will discuss the potential for collaboration on relevant empirical research.

International Colloquium on St. Maximus the Confessor

The 7th International Colloquium on St. Maximus the Confessor will be held at the University of Warsaw from April 27–29, 2026, under the theme “Maximus the Confessor: The Salvation of Nature.” Organized by the University of Warsaw and the Centre for Development of Research and Education, in collaboration with the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (University of Belgrade) and the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Károli Gáspár University of the Protestant Church in Hungary (Budapest), the conference will bring together leading scholars to explore the meaning of nature and its salvation in the thought of St. Maximus. The colloquium will focus on Maximus’ understanding of the destiny of the created world, the salvation of rational and non-rational beings, the relationship between the primordial and eschatological states, and the philosophical and patristic sources that shaped his vision. By engaging theological, philosophical, and contemporary ecological perspectives, the conference aims to highlight the enduring relevance of Maximian cosmology and anthropology for present-day discussions on creation and environmental responsibility. Selected papers will be published in the Subsidia Maximiana series by Brepols.