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Pastores del Dios Altisimo, de Janet La Pointe, logotipo de COV&R 2005 Ministers of the Most High God, by Janet LaPointe, used with permission by COV&R 2005 Diener des Höchsten Gottes, von Janet LaPointe, mit freundlicher Genehmigung von COV&R2005 verwendet Foto: COV&R 2005 © 2005 |
SCHOENSTATT, Ann W. Astell. The Colloquium on Violence and Religion (COV&R) will hold its 2005 meeting in Schoenstatt (Koblenz-Vallendar) on July 6-10, 2005. Over a hundred scholars from twenty different countries will participate in lectures and workshops on the theme "Mimetic Theory and the Imitation of the Divine."
The conference, sponsored by Purdue University, is being hosted by the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, in collaboration with the theological faculty of the University of Innsbruck. The theme of the meeting brings the thought of René Girard in conversation with the Christian anthropology of Fr. Joseph Kentenich (1885-1968), who developed a modern way of spiritual formation that resisted the dangers of the "mass man" during the Nazi era.
Imitation of the Divine
"The ‘imitation of the divine’ is a multi-faceted topic," says Ann W. Astell, organizer of COV&R 2005. "It evokes the classical idea of discipleship, but it also raises issues about the depiction of God and the divine in visual art, about the appropriation of the divine in politics and consumer culture, and about the uses of religion to justify violence. God can be ‘imitated’ in an icon, but he can also be ‘aped’ as an idol."
"Mimesis" is the Greek word for "imitation." René Girard (Stanford University), the founder of COV&R and the leading exponent of mimetic theory, will participate in the meeting. Recently elected one of the forty "immortals" in the Académie français, Girard is famous for his understanding of "contagious" group behavior and the "scapegoat-mechanism." Girard is the author of influential books on literary criticism, anthropology, and biblical interpretation. He was quoted in the pontifical Lenten homilies given in Rome in 2005 by Fr. Cantalamessa, who drew upon Girard’s writings to characterize the Eucharist as "the sacrament of non-violence."
Religious dimensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Plenary session talks will all be given in the Pater-Kentenich-Haus on Mount Schoenstatt. Józef Niewiadomski, Dean of Theology at the University of Innsbruck, will open the conference on Wednesday afternoon, July 6. He will speak on Christian discipleship as an imitation of Christ, recalling the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Raymund Schwager.
Jean-Luc Marion (Sorbonne, University of Paris), regarded by many as the world’s leading philosopher of religion, is acclaimed for his theo-aesthetic books on the icon and the Eucharist. He will speak in the auditorium of the Pater-Kentenich-Haus at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening, July 6, on "The Image without Mimesis."
Margaret R. Miles (Graduate Theological Union-Berkeley) will give a keynote address on Thursday morning. The author of thirteen books and the former President of the American Academy of Religion, she is an expert of the theology of St. Augustine and the use of images in the history of Christianity.
Allen Frantzen (Loyola University-Chicago) will speak on Friday morning, July 8. Frantzen’s lecture, "Sacrificial Soldiers," will highlight the role played by religion in shaping the ethos of young soldiers during World War I.
Two eminent political scientists—Mumtaz Ahmad (Hampton University) and Eliezer Don-Yehiya (Bar-Ilan University, Israel)—will speak on Friday afternoon on the religious dimensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Cultural program
In addition to these plenary sessions, there will be numerous concurrent sessions on literary criticism, biblical exegesis, anthropology, catechesis,, economics, visual art, film, psychology, philosophy, and politics. One special session will focus on the theology of Bernard Lonergan in relation to the theory of Girard. Another special session will mark the centenary anniversary of Cervantes’ masterpiece, Don Quixote.
Participants in the conference are looking forward to experiencing the beauty of the Rhine River. A Saturday evening concert by the Youth Chamber Choir and the Girls Cantors of the Liebfrauenkirche in Koblenz, directed by Manfred Faig, will bring the conference to a close.