News around the globe
8 December marks the 20th anniversary of the death of renowned Catholic theologian Leo Scheffczyk (1920–2005). To mark the occasion, Catholic private television station K-TV has produced a short documentary film lasting around 20 minutes, which will be broadcast several times over the coming days:
A major conference on the history of housing foundations entitled ‘Foundations as role models: the Fuggerei in context’ is taking place at the Augsburg City Archives. The range of lectures covers topics from the Fugger foundations in Augsburg to similar phenomena of poor relief and social welfare in Europe.
A study day is being held in Siena to mark the 500th anniversary of the Sienese Academy of the Intronati, an academy of writers and humanists. RIGG member Simone Andreoni will speak about the Hall of the Noble Ladies of Siena in the Collegio Petroniano.
Die Abtei von der King David Street aus gesehen.
by Sebastian Grünbaum
In August 2025, I was generously given by the Görres Society and the Abbey of the Dormition the possibility to visit Israel.
The benedictine Abbey of the Dormtion is a wonderful place that is situated on Mount Zion. The beautiful church, built from sandstone, whose foundations were laid 125 years ago, can be visited daily. There is also a possibility to enjoy the Benedictine spiritual tradition in the form of daily hours. Downstairs in the crypt, there is a beautiful sculpture of Mary as she is sleeping.
The Schneemelcher College of the Protestant Theology Faculty at the University of Bonn is hosting the first Patristic Schneemelcher Symposium. Topics relating to the Apocrypha, the Old Testament and art will be presented
Yesterday, 3 September, it was that time again: in the evening, the procession of the brightly lit Gothic macchina of St. Rosa, patron saint of Viterbo, took place. In March, the staff of the Roman Institute had taken a trip to Viterbo, and now Federica Giordani was able to take photos from her room at close range.
Deadline: 31 October
The Society for Conciliar History Research (Prof. Dr Johannes Grohe, Prof. Dr Thomas Prügl) is asking for proposals for papers for the next conference, which will take place in Vienna from 23 to 25 February 2026.
On 11/12 July 2025, the University of Augsburg is hosting a conference on the Council of Nicea (325): ‘Historical perspectives and ecumenical impulses for the present’. The organisers are Thomas Marschler (Dogmatics) and Matthias Simperl (Church History).
The theme of the 56th International Priests' Meeting in Cologne is "Who is this? Nicaea (325) and the question of Christ today". The speakers are Helmut Hoping, Peter Bruns, Ludger Schwienhorst-Schönberger, Stefan Andrzejewski and Ralf van Bühren.
25 years after the publication of ‘The Spirit of the Liturgy’, the question of Joseph Ratzinger's liturgical legacy arises. A conference at the Catholic University of America in Washington on 25-26 September is dedicated to this topic.
Römisches Institut der Görres-Gesellschaft
