Renowned academic circles at a symposium in Italy requested that the Macedonian authorities immediately release Archbishop Jovan

Recently, in the “St John of Calabria” Monastery, in Bivongi, Calabria, Italy, the international symposium “COLLOQUI DIONISIANI” was held for the third time, a symposium that is already very well known among the academic and theological circles, and is of a great significance for the orthodoxy.

It represents a high level of spiritual-theological-academic meetings in which internationally renowned speakers take part. This year’s conference was dedicated to the Ecumenical Councils and the topics will contribute to the organization of the next Pan-Orthodox meeting.

Participants were, from Italy: Antonino Mantineo, Vescovo Siluan Span, Paolo Ricca, Pino Silvestri, M. Hamam, Francesco Zanchini, Lorenzo Sinisi, Enrico Morini, Constantin Totolici, Arcivescovo Antonio Cantisani, Octavian Schintee, Giovanni Battista Varnier, Salvatore Berlingò, Salvatore Rapisarda, Giorgio Barone-Adesi, Andrea Saguna, Alberto Sarra; from Russia: Vladimir Vasilik, Vladislav Zupin; from Greece: Ioannis Panagiotopoulos, Basileios Koukouzas, Nikos Maggioros; from Montenegro: Velibor Dzomic; from Belarus: S. Kalinin; from Bulgaria: Ivan Ivanov, Dilyan Nikolchev; from the United Kingdom: David Harte; from Romania: Ioan Kozma, Alba Julia.

Despite the great scientific interest, during this year’s symposium two significant events took place:

first, the opening of the Center for observation of the respecting of the religious freedoms in Europe and especially the Mediterranean, and

second, the Appeal by the symposium participants, which will be sent publically to the authorities in Skopje for an immediate release from prison of the persecuted Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid.

Source: poa-info.org