The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew declared open the International Conference, titled “The theological legacy of Archpriest George Florovsky,” on Sunday afternoon, September 1.

“We warmly welcome you to Constantinople and the historical Centre of Orthodoxy to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of his passing of Archpriest George Florovsky, an influential figure in Church and Theology, who was a preeminent professor of patristics,” said Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in his opening address. The conference is organised in Constantinople by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in collaboration with the Patriarchal Institute For Patristic Studies In Thessaloniki.

“The work of Archpriest George Florovsky will always belong to future generations. It will always be a source of inspiration and direction for theological debates. The central element of Florovsky’s thought and witness was the “creative return to the spirit of the Fathers,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said.

The Ecumenical Patriarch underlined the importance of the Orthodox discourse in the modern world.