Greeting of Metropolitan Alexander to the Organizers and Participants of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Theology, Society, State: A Space for Dialogue”

Greeting of the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, to the Organizers and Participants of the III International Scientific and Practical Conference Dedicated to the Memory of Archbishop Alexander (Timofeev) of Saratov and Volsk, “Theology, Society, State: A Space for Dialogue”

Esteemed Organizers and Participants of the Conference!

Your Graces, Venerable Fathers, Dear Brothers and Sisters!

In recent years, there have been significant achievements in the development of theology as a new branch of humanities in Russia. The professional academic and pedagogical community has been growing and strengthening, the work of dissertation councils has intensified, and the corpus of educational and scientific literature has expanded.

A pressing task today is to understand the general humanitarian and educational significance of theology in universities, its close connection with literature, history, philosophy, and other disciplines that shape worldviews in society, particularly among the youth. Recognizing this will undoubtedly have a positive impact on preserving the spiritual and moral values and cultural-historical heritage of the peoples of Russia, as well as on strengthening civil harmony in the country. It is therefore essential to ensure the continued improvement and development of theological education, the opening of new academic programs and research specialties, and the support of theological and interdisciplinary studies.

This conference, which has now attained international status, is dedicated to global challenges and contemporary issues, as well as the reflection on the experience of church-state, interreligious, and intercultural dialogue. I hope that the discussion of these important topics will contribute to addressing many urgent issues.

Today, one of the greatest threats to the future of humanity is the decline of faith and the loss of the ability to align one’s desires and actions with eternal moral ideals. “Without a higher idea, neither a person nor a nation can exist. And the highest idea on earth is one and only—the idea of the immortality of the human soul,” wrote the outstanding Russian writer and thinker Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. This fundamental worldview principle should unite and inspire people of different beliefs and perspectives in our complex time, filled with contradictions and disagreements. In the current circumstances, religious, state, and public figures, as well as representatives of the scientific and creative intelligentsia, must remember their personal responsibility and demonstrate wisdom in their joint efforts to create conditions for the spiritual and moral development of individuals in society.

I wish all those gathered fruitful discussions and God’s help in your work.