International panel discussion: “The Vatican’s Ostpolitik: Historical Background and Contemporary Challenges”. Lviv, UCU, July 2, 2022
The Eastern Policy of the Vatican (Ostpolitik) is a multifaceted phenomenon, and its methods and results have received and continue to receive various assessments. Some consider it an ecclesiastical analogue of Realpolitik, a betrayal of values and principles with the hope of achieving doubtful goals; others consider it the “art of the possible” since it made possible a modus non-moriendi for Catholics behind the Iron Curtain in the 1960s and 1970s, subsequently contributed to the decline of communism and the democratic transformation of East-Central Europe, and enables the continuation of the ecumenical dialogue today.
Russia's aggression against Ukraine has brought up the question of the Vatican’s “Eastern policy” with renewed urgency. For some, the war was further proof that Ostpolitik is flawed in essence since it is used by those same forces who see relations with the Holy See as just one of many tools to achieve their own goals on the geopolitical chessboard. Some believe there is no alternative to "dialogue at all costs" with Moscow, given the threat of a nuclear catastrophe for all humanity. What were, in fact, the driving motives, the primary goals, and methods of the Vatican’s political and ecclesiastical diplomacy in the East of Europe, how are they perceived, and what reactions do they cause today? What results can we expect with the hope of stopping the war and ensuring peace in Ukraine and the world?
The UCU’s Institute of Church History invites you to an expert discussion with international diplomats and scholars.
