During the Academic Consultation in Warsaw in September 2024, it was decided that the next consultation will take place in Utrecht in 2026. Societas Oecumenica is thus returning after more than thirty years to this Dutch city full of academic and ecumenical institutions. In 1994, an academic consultation on the theme “Ecumenism and Hermeneutics” was held here.
From 9 to 11 March 2025, members of the Standing Committee met for a working meeting on-site at the location of the upcoming Academic Consultation. The meeting was mainly devoted to getting to know the collaborators who will help us with the organisation of the consultation and to get to know the places that would be suitable for the conference. A first outline of the conference programme and a list of possible suitable speakers were drafted.
The Standing Committee has decided that the 23rd Academic Consultation will be held on 21–25 August 2026. It will start with registration of participants on Friday at 2pm and end on Tuesday at 2pm after lunch. The consultation will address the theme “Churches in the midst of polarizations”. The Standing Committee decided that SO members who have paid their 2025 and 2026 membership fees will benefit from a discounted conference fee when registering.
Several academic and religious institutions have expressed significant interest in academic consultation. During the working session, the members of the Standing Committee established personal contacts with the following partner institutions based in Utrecht: the Theological University Utrecht, the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology, the Protestants Theological University and the Old Catholic Seminary at Utrecht University. We thank all these partners for their sincere interest and generous support of the event and look forward to the 23rd Academic Consultation together with you.
