Syriac Common Witness and Shared Life in a Pluralistic World

When the Pro Oriente Forum Syriacum met in February 2019 in Ochtrup, Germany, and at the Syrian Orthodox Monastery of Mor Ephrem in Glane/Losser, the Netherlands – hosted by Mor Polycarp Aydin – it was a natural continuation of the Fifth Colloquium Syriacum to develop a new theme focused on pastoral questions, with the intention of reaching the grassroots level. Syriac Churches across the world face similar challenges: preserving their identity while integrating into new social and cultural contexts. A central question, therefore, is how the Syriac tradition can be witnessed jointly in a global and pluralistic world, not in spite of differences, but precisely through them, as enriching and complementary elements. The colloquium also examined the relevance and impact of existing pastoral agreements and focused on specific case studies from Syria, Iraq, Jordan, India, and Europe, in order to explore these issues within concrete contexts. The Sixth Colloquium Syriacum also marked the 25th anniversary of the Pro Oriente Syriac Dialogue. The program included a visit to the Syriac manuscripts at the Austrian National Library, as well as an international symposium at the Austrian Academy of Sciences on the topic: “Medieval Turfan: An Oasis for Christianity? Looking Back, Looking Ahead”.

Program

Program Turfan Symposium

Publication (forthcoming 2026)