July 1-9, 2024
The UCU Institute of Ecumenical Studies organizes a Summer Online Ecumenical School for Dialogue every year. This year the topic of the school will be dedicated to warfare and the ecological issue. The title of the school is “Ecology through the Prism of War: Challenges for Ukraine and the World” in July 1-9, 2024.
At the English-speaking Summer Ecumenical School for Dialogue, we plan to analyze the causes and consequences of the environmental crisis that arose as a result of Russia’s large-scale military aggression against Ukraine. We will learn to distinguish between intentional crimes of ecocide and unintentional ones, and we will try to outline the prospects of environmental restoration after the end of the war by studying the experience of other countries and regions.
At the ESD, we propose to apply a holistic (inclusive) approach to solving ecological challenges, because in solving environmental problems, you cannot act narrowly. Environmental well-being is directly related to the political and legal context, as the impunity of criminal systems, neglect of human rights and international rules undeniably leads to a decrease in environmental sensitivity and responsibility, and leads to the irresponsible use of natural resources. Democracy provides a fairer approach to caring for our common home, and its basic principles such as: respect for human dignity, solidarity, justice, the rule of law – lay a reliable foundation for creating reliable rules for the responsible use of natural resources.
The restoration of ecological sensitivity is unquestionably dependent on our collective conversion to ourselves, our neighbors, God, and nature. The ecological teachings of the Churches and the spiritual view of environmental problems can give a new impetus to rethinking the issue.
The ESD will consist of online lectures of the prominent professors from Ukraine and abroad, presentations, discussions, and experience’s sharing. The lectures will be held in the evenings.