On November 2, the 2nd All-Russian (with international participation) Scientific Conference “Theology in the modern scientific and educational space” has been held in MEPhI. The event was marked by the participation of his Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia.
His Holiness visited the house church of the University. Here the Primate was welcomed by parishioners - students of MEPhI. Then His Holiness proceeded to the plenary session of the conference.
Greeting of the President of Russia V.V. Putin to the participants of the conference was announced by the Deputy head of the Internal policy Department of the Russian Federation Presidential Executive Office M.V. Belousov.
The Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation M.A. Borovskaya welcomed the audience on behalf of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
Rector of the Moscow State University V.A. Sadovnichiy told about the organization of the Congress of Russian language teachers. The decision to hold the Congress was approved at a meeting of the Presidium of the Society of Russian literature in March 2018.
Presentations were also made by the President of the Russian Academy of Education Y.P. Zinchenko and rector of MEPhI M.N. Strikhanov.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presented a report on "Theology and values: the future of Russia". (The Patriarch's socially significant speech was immediately quoted by the country's leading news agencies).
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presented a collection of his works published by the Moscow Patriarchate as a gift to the library of MEPhI.
The program of the plenary session was continued by the speeches of the Chairman of the Department for External Church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, rector of the Church post-graduate and doctoral studies named after equal apostles Cyril and Methodius, Chairman of the Interdepartmental coordination group for teaching theology in universities Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Metropolitan Theophanus of Kazan and Tatarstan, first Deputy Chairman of the spiritual administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation Damir Hazrat Mukhetdinov, rector of RUDN V.M. Filippov, Chairman of the Educational Committee of Russian Orthodox Church Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, rector of North-Caucasus Federal University A.A. Levitskaya, head of the Ivanovo Firefighting and Rescue Academy, general-lieutenant of internal service I.A. Maliy, rector of the St. Tikhon Orthodox Humanities University, Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyev.
It should be noted that the regional (interregional, district) events of the conference were held from 1 to 30 October 2018 on the basis of the leading universities — members of the Scientific and Educational Theological Association.
The conference is held with the blessing of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church with the support of the Presidential Executive Office, the Council for cooperation with religious associations under the President of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science, the Interreligious Council of Russia, the National Accreditation Agency, the Expert Council on Theology of the Ministry of Education, the Federal Educational and Methodological Association on Theology, Interdepartmental coordination group of the Moscow Patriarchate on teaching theology in universities.
