The ‘Theology at the Beginning of the Third Millennium’ series organised by scholars in the School of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, together with the Catholic Institute of Sydney, is an international landmark taking placed biennially.
Convened by Dr Kevin Wagner, Dr Peter McGregor, Dr Christian Stephens and Professor Tracey Rowland, it began on 5 February with a launch of the books Eschatology at the Beginning of the Third Millennium and Introducing Communio Theology (see report on page 21).
The conference began in earnest on 6 February. The theme: Christology, the study about the founder and saviour of our faith, our Lord Jesus Christ.
A perfect ambience was created by a unique art exhibition that from 2 February had been set up in St Benedict’s hall: ‘Seeing Christ Through Painting: Transcending the East-West Dichotomy.’
This exhibition showcased the glorious Byzantine, neo-Byzantine, and Baroque inspired art of Dr Ouresis Todorovic (University of Macau) and was curated by Dr Vassilis Adrahtas (Western Sydney University) representing Unity in Philia, a not-for-profit organisation based in Greece that engages in cultural diplomacy and dialogue.
It was among prints (and one original) of Ouresis’ icons and paintings—of Jesus crucified, taken down from the cross, and resurrected—that more than 70 participants, presenters and students, shared and learnt from scholarly insights on the person and work of Christ in a Catholic, fraternal, and ecumenical spirit.
This was an international affair: with contributions from Slovenia, Hungary, South Korea, the United States, to name a few. The two beautiful Masses presided by Archbishop Julian Porteous demonstrated that at Notre Dame we strive to integrate faith and reason, the ecclesial and the academic, the heart and mind.
As there were parallel sessions it would be impossible to cover all the papers here, so I will limit myself only to the keynotes and panel discussion.
Dr Kevin Wagner’s paper ‘Christology at the Beginning of the Third Millennium: A Communio-Magisterial Perspective’ demonstrated the fidelity of Pope St John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to Vatican II through the hermeneutic of ‘communio theology.’ This, he argued, was anchored in their experience of the Lord within the Church that overcomes the damaging ‘Jesus of history’ and ‘Christ of faith’ antagonism.
Professor Alenka Arko (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia), who, along with Professor Rowland, is a member of the International Theological Commission (ITC), gave a brilliant analysis of Russian Orthodox iconographical depictions of Christ.
The journey through masterpieces by Theophanes the Cretan and St Andrei Rublev were interpreted through the lens of the work of the early 20th century priest and polymath Fr Pavel Florensky, who argued that icons are a window into the divine.
Dr Christian Stephens gave a keynote entitled ‘Are Images of Christ owed latria,’ demonstrating his fine research on St Thomas Aquinas’ approach to images in a manner consistent with St John of Damascus and the seventh ecumenical council (2nd Nicaea).
Dr Stephens then moderated a panel with Professor Arko, Dr Vassilis Adrahtas, and myself addressing various aspects of Christian imagery in the East and West—their significance, history, iconoclasm, and potential future in light of developments in technology such as AI.
After further excellent papers, Dr Wagner then thanked all participants and contributors to the conference before announcing that 2028’s ‘Theology at the Beginning of the Third Millennium’ will be on the Eucharist to coincide with the eagerly anticipated 54th International Eucharistic Congress.
The continued interest in this conference proves that Catholic scholarship flourishes ‘down under’ in a way that is internationally relevant for academics while at the same time serving the needs of the local church, and for this its convenors are to be wholeheartedly congratulated.
Dr Mario Baghos is Senior Lecturer in Theology at the University of Notre Dame, Australia.
