24th International Renovabis Congress

Unfortunately, the 24th International Congress Renovabis, initially scheduled for 9.-11. September 2020, cannot take place in the planned form due to the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic. The planned theme “Ecumenism in Central and Eastern Europe – Task and Enrichment” will be dealt with next year.

As an alternative to this year's congress, several online-based individual events on the topic of „Church and the Covid 19 Pandemic” are planned for the week of 7.-11. September 2020 on the following topics:

1. New ways for pastoral care through digital formats
2. Corona and the poor: Consequences of the crisis for the charitable sector
3. Consequences for the church education system, especially in the area of adult education
4. Fundamental theological considerations
5. New borders, but also new solidarity in Europe
6. The Situation of migrant workers

The units are held in German. Translations into English and Italian are planned.

Participation in the online-based events is only possible after prior registration.

Detailed information on registration and the programme can be found here until the beginning of August at the latest.

Renovabis-Congress 2019

The 23rd International Congress Renovabis took place 11. and 12. September 2019 and focused on the subject „The Urban Church. Challenges in Providing Pastoral Care, both East and West“.

The ecclesiastical landscape in Central and Eastern Europe has changed considerably since the beginning of the 20th century. Previously, ecclesiastical life took place predominantly in rural areas within classical parish structures. Since then, industrialization and rural exodus have given rise to many big cities in which profound changes took place in the 20th century as a result of war, communist rule and the upheavals 30 years ago. Today, especially the big cities are characterized by increasing secularization. The churches have responded to the developments by designing new forms of pastoral care. Lectures, panels and working groups compared these experiences in East and West and intoduced new approaches.

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About the Congress

To bring up topics of pan-European importance: this is one of the tasks of Renovabis' congresses. Over the years, the event has developed into an important forum for dialogue between participants from Eastern and Western Europe. Greetings were addressed to the congress by Pope Benedict XVI., representatives of the Orthodox and Protestant churches, Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel, the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Dirk Niebel, and the Prime Ministers of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, and Rhineland-Palatinate, Kurt Beck.