From July 6 to 16, the Volos Summer Institute 2026 took place in the city of Volos, focusing on the theme "Orthodoxy in a Time of Transition: Tradition, Ecumenism, and Modernity". The program was jointly organized by the Volos Academy for Theological Studies and the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA).

Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University was represented at the event by Iryna Horokholinska, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences and Head of the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Philology.

The Summer Institute combined academic study, exposure to liturgical practice and pilgrimages, and ongoing dialogue among researchers from various countries. The program focused on issues shaping the development of contemporary Orthodox theological thought: the interpretation of Tradition, the challenges of secularization and globalization, the advancement of science and artificial intelligence, the environmental crisis, interfaith dialogue, and the relationship between the Church and modern society.

The participants devoted particular attention to religiously motivated violence, peacemaking, and the Ukrainian experience of grappling with the meaning of the war. For Ukraine, these issues are not matters of abstract theory; consequently, Ukrainian participants shared their experiences of the Church’s ministry to soldiers, veterans, their families, internally displaced persons, and communities grieving their losses. The participants viewed Tradition not as a closed system of ready-made answers, but as a source for the responsible theological reflection on new challenges—without compromising their own identity.

The Institute’s faculty brought together leading figures in contemporary Orthodox and ecumenical thought from the USA, Great Britain, Austria, Greece, and Ukraine. The event’s significance lay not only in lectures by renowned theologians but also in the opportunity to jointly discuss the pressing challenges facing Orthodox theology. Representatives from Orthodox educational and ecclesiastical circles in Ukraine, Greece, Georgia, Serbia, Kenya, Egypt, and India took part in the discussions. Such international dialogue helps Orthodox theology remain open to diverse experiences and modern challenges.

Orthodox theological education is one of the historical foundations of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, which was established in 1875 with a Greek-Orthodox Faculty of Theology. The Volos Summer Institute became a space where fidelity to Orthodox Tradition combined with openness to modernity, academic freedom with the life of the Church, and ecumenical dialogue with the preservation of one's own identity.