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A cleric of the Sourozh Diocese participated in the IX St. Ambrose International Scientific and Practical Conference, "An Orthodox View of the Modern World: Problems and Prospects." »
02-10-2026 
On October 1, 2026, the plenary session of the IX St. Ambrose International Scientific and Practical Conference, "An Orthodox View of the Modern World: Problems and Prospects," opened at the Tambov Theological Seminary.With the blessing of His Grace, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Priest Evgeny Selensky, Dean of the East Anglia Diocesan District of the Sourozh Diocese, participated in the conference remotely. Father Evgeny presented a paper entitled "Characteristics of Orthodox Pastoral Ministry in the Age of Information Technology: An Analysis Based on the Experience of Ministry Abroad." The paper will be published in the scholarly journal "Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary."
The scientific forum at the Higher Theological School is being held with the support of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Tambov Diocese.
The conference is timed to coincide with the following memorable dates:
- 1575th anniversary of the Fourth Ecumenical Council;
- 1200th anniversary of the death of St. Theodore the Studite;
- 700th anniversary of the death of St. Peter, Metropolitan of Kyiv, Moscow, and All Rus';
- 180th anniversary of the birth of Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky);
- 65th anniversary of the death and 30th anniversary of the canonisation of Hieroconfessor Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky); - 35th anniversary of the second uncovering of the holy relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov; - The 25th anniversary of the canonisation of the holy righteous warrior Feodor Ushakov;
- The 80th anniversary of the birth and 50th anniversary of the episcopal consecration of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
The conference's presentations will cover church-historical, theological-patrological, religious-philosophical, and church-practical issues: the Fourth Ecumenical Council and the Christological controversies; the history of the Ancient Eastern Churches; the legacy of St. Theodore the Studite, St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), the Optina Elders, and other ascetics; the relationship between Church, state, and society; mission, pastoral care, and spiritual guidance in the context of digitalisation; the challenges of secularism, transhumanism, neopaganism, and migration crises; the preservation of historical memory, Christian values, language, Orthodox journalism, and spiritual literature.
Speakers from seven countries are participating in the conference: Republic of Belarus, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, and Sweden, as well as from 14 cities in the Russian Federation: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Belgorod, Vologda, Voronezh, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Petrozavodsk, Pskov, Pechory, Tula, Tambov, and Morshansk.
Before the conference, Metropolitan Feodosiy of Tambov and Rasskazovo, head of the Tambov Metropolitanate, celebrated a moleben for the beginning of this noble undertaking, assisted by clergy, in the Kazan Cathedral of the Kazan Monastery in Tambov. Following the service, the opening ceremony of the plenary session of the scientific forum took place in the assembly hall of the Tambov Theological Seminary.
The event was attended by clergy of the Tambov Diocese, administration, faculty, and students of the Tambov Theological Seminary and secular higher education institutions, teachers and students of the Tambov Orthodox Gymnasium named after St. Pitirim, Bishop of Tambov, representatives of Tambov media, heads of municipal centers for spiritual and moral education in the Tambov Region, directors and teachers of Sunday schools in the parishes of the Tambov Diocese's deaneries, employees of the Tambov Regional State Budgetary Institution "Center for Support of Educational Practices and Initiatives," methodologists from information and methodological centers, and military personnel from the scientific company of the Tambov Interspecific Center for the Training and Combat Use of Electronic Warfare Troops.
The head of the Tambov Metropolitanate and advisor to the head of the Tambov Region, S.A. Chebotarev, addressed the conference participants with welcoming speech.
The conference was moderated by E.V. Grudinina, Vice-Rector for Research at the Tambov Theological Seminary.
The following participants delivered reports at the plenary session:
- Metropolitan Feodosiy (Vasnev) of Tambov and Rasskazovo, Doctor of Theology, Candidate of Theology, Professor of the Department of Biblical Studies, Theology, and Church History at the Tambov Theological Seminary (Tambov, Russia) - "Archbishop Zinovy (Drozdov) during his administration of the Tambov Diocese (1918–1927)".
- Archimandrite Sergiy (Akimov), Doctor of Theology, Professor of the Minsk Theological Academy, Rector of St. Nicholas Church in Merano (Merano, Italy) - "The Orthodox Understanding of the Inspiration of Holy Scripture in the Context of the Christology of the Fourth Ecumenical Council" (online).
- Priest Alexander Volkov, PhD in Theology, Head of the Library of the Minsk Theological Academy named after St. Cyril of Turov of the Belarusian Orthodox Church (Minsk, Belarus) - "The Chalcedonian Heritage and the Challenge of Preserving Christological Fullness in 21st-Century Theology".
- Sergey Alekseevich Chebotarev, Advisor to the Head of the Tambov Region, PhD in History, Associate Professor, Head of the Performing Arts Department at the G.R. Derzhavin Tambov State University, and Deputy Rector for Humanitarian Projects (Tambov, Russia) - "The Tambov Period in the Life and Work of Archbishop Luke – Professor Voyno-Yasenetsky".
- Vladimir Nikolaevich Katasonov, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Theology, Professor of the Church Graduate and Doctoral School, Full Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (RANS), Member of the Expert Council of the Higher Attestation Commission under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation for Theology (Moscow, Russia) - "G. P. Fedotov's Theology of Culture: Culture and Eschatology".
- Archpriest Nikolai Kim, Doctor of Theology at the University of Prešov, Candidate of Theology (St. Petersburg Theological Academy), Rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring" (Budapest, Hungary) - " The Educational Activities of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Light of the Latest Archaeological Research in the Balaton Region" (online).
- Hegumen Nikon (Golovko), PhD in Theology, resident of the Donskoy Stavropegic Monastery in Moscow, doctoral candidate at the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Program named after Saints Cyril and Methodius (Moscow, Russia);
- Nun Ekaterina (Kopyl), resident of the Gorny Convent in Jerusalem; Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem of the Moscow Patriarchate (Jerusalem, Israel) - "The "Tombs of the Prophets" in Jerusalem: Historiography, Structure, Periodization, and Archaeological Significance of the Russian Mount of Olives Monument" (online).
- Priest Pavel Makarenko, Rector of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (Västerås, Sweden) - "The Russian Orthodox Church in Sweden during the Synodal Period (1721–1917)".
- Priest Yevgeny Selensky, PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Diocese of Sourozh of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (Ipswich, UK) - "Peculiarities of Pastoral Ministry in the Orthodox Church in the Age of Information Technology: An Analysis Based on the Experience of Ministry Abroad" (online).
- Kosichenko Anatoly Grigorievich, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science, and Religious Studies of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Almaty, Kazakhstan) - "The Human Being in the Modern World: Secular and Religious Image" (online).
- Guzenina Svetlana Valeryevna, Doctor of Sociology, Associate Professor; Leading Researcher, Center for Sociology, Ideology, and Sociocultural Processes, Institute of Social and Political Research, Federal Research Sociological Center, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISPR FRSSC RAS) (Moscow, Russia) - "Domestic Tourism as a Factor in Cross-Cultural and Inter-religious Communication (for the Celebration of the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia)".
The conference included a tour and pilgrimage program to the holy sites of Tambov, organised for participants and foreign guests of the scientific event.
The forum will continue on October 2 with breakout sessions:
- Interaction between Church, State, and Society: History and Modernity.
- Theological Understanding of Current Issues of the Present Day.
- Orthodox Doctrine in the Discourse of Modern Humanities.
Discussions of the conference's commemorative dates will take place at roundtable discussions dedicated to the Fourth Ecumenical Council and the spiritual legacy of St. Luke, according to the Tambov Theological Seminary website.