Generel information about Conference

Dear Reader! You are holding the Collection of Materials of the International scientific seminar Responsibility for Creation and Sustainable Development in the Upper Tisa Region in your hands. This conference was conducted on 16-17 May, 2008 in Uzhhorod at the Catechetic Spiritual Center (Uzhhorod Monastery of Sisters of the Society of Jesus Order).
In this collection we tried to show the thoughts, ideas and suggestions connected with the continuation of collaboration of the Church with public movements and institutions directed to realization of the sustainable development strategy in the Upper Tisa Region, comprised by the Tisa river basin within the Zakarpatska oblast (Ukraine) and parts of Hungary, Slovakia and Romania, which is a unique region in geopolitical, polydenomi-national, ethnonational, historical, geographical and ecological relations.
The Roman Catholic bishops conferences of Ukraine and Hungary together with the Mukachevo Greek Catholic diocese continued the recently started efforts for unity and collaboration of religion, science, culture and education in matters of realization of ideas of sustainable development in the Upper Tisa Region.

It is necessary to note that during the last years the Churches and religions, undertook considerable steps towards public movements and institutions in the joint activity in responsibility for Creation. In particular, the Universal Church conducted several consultations during all-European conferences in Celje (Slovenia, 1999), Bad Honnef (Germany, 2000), Badin (Slovakia, 2001), Venice (Italy, 2002), Wroclaw (Poland, 2003), Brussels (Belgium, 2004) where delegates from bishops conferences together with leading European scientists discussed all possible collaboration directions in the name of saving the Creation.

These series of all-European meetings were followed by public dialogue and collaboration on national levels, where bishops conferences of each country using polydenominational dialogue tried to find the solutions of coming-up problems in connection with the global calls of civilization. Ukraine, as far as possible, tries to follow the European initiatives and has already conducted several conferences during which representatives of the spiritual and secular parts of the society were looking for joint ways of solving global problems of the contemporaneity. The issues that were discussed during domestic forums were the following: the situation in the modern world (discussing through Pope John Paul II-s famous encyclical The Hundredth Year, 1992); Ukraine-s major problems in ecology, economy and moral (1996); Church and the environment: European experience and Ukrainian prospects (June, 2007); responsibility for Creation and sustainable development in Central and Eastern Europe: experience of Poland and Ukraine (December, 2007).

The international scientificseminar in Uzhhorod on 16-17 May, 2008, was not an exception in these series of meetings, and we hope that it substantially widened the dialogue between the secular and spiritual parts of the society in relation to future joint efforts for the sake of improving the situation in the environment both in the Upper Tisa Region and Central and Eastern Europe.

It is necessary to note that among the countries of Eastern and Central Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States only the Zakarpatska oblast� of Ukraine (including Uzhhorod) is notable for founding and conducting conferences and seminars committed to continue the ecumenical process of unity for the sake of saving the Creation in which representatives of the clergy of different denominations take part. It is optimistic that while organizing such forums we meet understanding and support from representatives of the authorities of all levels, science and education, environmental protection bodies and just people of good will. Each participant of the conferences, by virtue of his/her knowledge, tries to bring in his/her contribution to the matter of saving the Creation, not depending on what political party, body of authority, educational or scientific institution, he/she represents.

Also a good sign is the circumstance that hierarchies and the clergy of different denominations pray together and take active part in the joint meetings and discussions of ways of solution of ecological problems, undertake the first steps in the concordance of plans of collaboration. Our civilization did not exhaust all of its possibilities of turning to the strategy of sustainable development even because the potential of Churches and religions is not involved yet and this potential is very powerful. The secular and the spiritual parts of the society are obliged to collaborate, as Churches and religions cannot forget about the responsibility for the condition of the environment because an overwhelming part of the society are parishioners or supporters of one of any denominations. In the historical aspect it was the Church that mobilized the people in difficult times for liberation fight, or vice versa, served as an instrument of colonization and enslaving peoples. And maybe now is the time for the Churches to take an active position and support the necessary initiatives on introducing the ideas of sustainable development for the sake of saving life on Earth. As humanity have already got very close to the threshold of ecological catastrophe, we consider the active interference of Churches and religions in all spheres of public life related to changing to sustainable development e tremely necessary. We sincerely hope that this edition will benefit the difficult but extremely important joint activity of the society directed to saving the infirm equilibrium of Creation.

Oleksandr Bokotey,
Scientific secretary of the conference,
Associate Professor

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Autor the page: Bilanych Mychail