Science Center for History since 1888
Martin Grobauer, formerly a scholarship holder, successfully defended his doctoral thesis in theology at the University of Munich on 3 March. His thesis, entitled “The Devil in theological discourse: A systematic-theological examination in light of recent approaches”, was supervised by Prof. Dr Bertram Stubenrauch. Congratulations!
My name is Simeon Hemminger; I am a student of Protestant Theology in Tübingen. I am currently spending a semester abroad in Rome, and it was through the Roman Institute of the Görres Society, based there, that I first became aware of your Society. My main areas of focus within the Society will be history and philosophy, and I look forward to meeting the other members of the Roman Institute.
With his oral examination on 9 March, Chemnitz scholarship recipient Rev. Sebastian Grünbaum earned his doctorate in theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis (USA). The topic of his thesis, supervised by Dr Gerhard Bode, was ‘Studies in the reception of the Council of Trent in 16th-century Lutheranism as seen in the Eucharistic theology of Martin Chemnitz's Examen Concilii Tridentini’.
From 20 to 25 November 2026, the Roman Institute of the Görres Society is organising its fifth sponsors' trip to Rome. The occasion is the 25th International Festival of Church Music.
You are cordially invited to participate. If you are interested, please contact
The Roman Institute has, at the end of 2025, with 277 members continuously increased its membership share of the entire Görres Society within 14 years from 2.47 % to now 9.37 %, although the membership of the entire Görres Society is growing again (2021: 2.806; 2022: 2.840; 2023: 2.871; 2024: 2.908; 2025: 2.955). The strongest section of the Görres Society in terms of numbers is History. Most of the new members of the Roman Institute also join this section.
Ciro Amato (Naples, 1974) has a degree in clinical psychology and studies topics related to the history of natural medicine, with a particular focus on Saint Hildegard of Bingen. He obtained a PhD from the University of Naples Federico II, thanks to which he acquired scientific research methods, including in law; he also has a degree in law.
Lea Amodio (Naples, 2004) attended classical high school and is currently studying philosophy at the Lateran University (with a thesis entitled ‘Time, Love and Knowledge in Joseph Ratzinger’). She is also completing a master's degree in the preservation, protection and enhancement of analogue and digital archives at Roma Tre University.
Lorenzo Murrone was born in 1998 and graduated from Roma Tre University with a degree in philology, literature and ancient history, writing his thesis on the development of the cult of saints in Eastern Christian liturgies. He is currently a visiting professor of Ancient Greek at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome. He also serves as a pastor in the Lutheran Confessional Church of Italy, ministering to the congregation in Rome and visiting other congregations on the peninsula.
Just in time for the 150th anniversary of the Görres Society, a 92-page, richly illustrated, practically square brochure has been published to present the society, its members, specialist sections, publications, institutes and conceptual course for the coming years. The Roman Institute is presented on pages 62-64.
The Roman Institute of the Görres Society continues to grow. Last year, the number of members rose from 267 to 277, 212 of them men and 65 women. Although 25 new members were recruited, the growth rate remained lower due to departures, resignations and deaths.
Römisches Institut der Görres-Gesellschaft
