Religious inspiration in responding to global crises

Policy & Values conference /  Warsaw, 16-17 November 2023

Conference homepage

Speakers:

Bishop Michael of Koman (online)
Jonathan Wittenberg (online)
Ibrahim Mogra
Sebastian Duda
The climate crisis, the crisis of the public sphere, the crises of war are accompanied by a crisis of imagination. We have exchanged the hubris of the idea of the end of history for the habits of living in crises. It is important, however, to renew the sources of solidarity, social resilience, social mobilisation, which shake us out of this social malaise. Inspiration from religious traditions is important for being able to overcome this numbing of the imagination. In recent years, religious communities have been engaging with issues of social justice, intercultural dialogue, the climate crisis, peace by proposing solutions derived from specific traditions and at the same time bringing something important to secular public debate.
Bishop Michael of Koman

Bishop Michael of Koman

Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Ukraine

Ukrainian Orthodox bishop, head of the stauropigion of the Constantinopolitan Patriarchate in Ukraine, patriarchal exarch of Kyiv. He studied at the University of Athens, graduating in 2012. He studied theology and ecclesiastical law for several years at the Institute for Higher Theological Studies at the Orthodox Centre of the Constantinopolitan Patriarchate in Chambésy and at the Universities of Geneva and Fribourg. On 6 October 2020, Archimandrite Michael was appointed bishop. The chirotonia, which took place on 8 November 2020 at the Church of the Holy Archangels in Istanbul, was presided over by Constantinopolitan Patriarch Bartholomew.

Jonathan Wittenberg

Jonathan Wittenberg

Senior Rabbi of Masorti Judaism UK

Masorti rabbi, the Senior Rabbi of Masorti Judaism UK. He is Rabbi of the New North London Synagogue with approximately 2400 members. He is also a member of the Elijah Interfaith Institute Board of World Religious Leaders; a member of the chaplaincy team at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. He is also a President of the Council of Christians and Jews and a member of the Council of Imams and Rabbis. He is a co-founder of Eco-Synagogue and deeply engaged in environmental issues. He is closely involved in supporting refugees. Further interests include pastoral work, hospice care, and literature, especially poetry. He teaches and speaks widely, including on Radio 4’s Prayer for the Day.

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra

National Council member of The Muslim Council of Britain, European Council of Religious Leaders, Religions for Peace UK and Co-Chair of the Christian Muslim Forum in England

Ibrahim completed his seminary studies in Bury, Lancashire and Al-Azhar, Cairo, followed by an MA at SOAS, University of London. He serves as the Muslim chaplain at the Canary Wharf Multifaith Chaplaincy in London’s Docklands. He is involved in the training of imams, Muslim chaplains, clergy and schoolteachers. He has co-authored and reviewed primary and secondary school level Religious Studies textbooks and written a Teacher’s Handbook on Islam and has contributed to a number of other publications. He has served as a student mentor and chaplain to the Cambridge Muslim College and Ebrahim College and mentors the Muslim Chaplains at De Montfort University and the UK Armed Forces. Shaykh Mogra sits on the University of Leicester’s World Faiths Advisory Group and is a faculty member at St. George’s College in Jerusalem. Ibrahim is an Associate Tutor for the Woolf Institute Cambridge and teaches on their online Muslim Jewish Relations course and also contributes to their podcasts

Sebastian Duda

Sebastian Duda

Editor of “Więź”, lecturer at The Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Doctor of Theology, philosopher, and publicist. He completed his philosophy studies at the University of Warsaw, as well as religious studies and theology at the Catholic University of Leuven. He is a member of the editorial board of “Więź” and the Laboratory Team of “Więzi.” An expert at the Center of Thought of John Paul II in Warsaw, he also lectures in gender studies at the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He was a contributor to the weekly magazine “Newsweek Polska” and an editor at “Przegląd Powszechny.” The author of books such as “Reformation. Luther’s Revolution” and “Overwhelming Doubt.” He is the host of the podcast “Pomiędzy” (“In Between”).

Discussion panels

Keynotes

Ukraine and Eu: the road ahead

EU & transatlantic response to global risks

Social and democratic recovery of Ukraine?

The pandemic & challenges of public health

Protecting Values in Global Politics

EU Climate & Industrial Policy: Avoiding the Backlash

EU Climate International policy

Hybrid security: air, water & earth as elements of resilience

Religious inspiration in responding to global crises