Split, (IKA) – The Eighth Regional Conference of the European Society of Women in Theological Research (ESWTR) for Central and Eastern Europe, with the theme “And God Will Wipe Away All the Tears from their Eyes” (Is 25:8 and Rev 21:4) — A Theological Approach to the Suffering and Hopes of Women” began on September 2 at the Franciscan monastery in Trstenik, Split. The conference, which brought together 70 scholars from 11 countries, is organized by the European Society of Women in Theological Research—Croatian Section, Women’s Ecumenical Initiative, Omiš and the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences—Split Center. The sponsors are Split-Dalmatia County and the city of Split.

Sister Jadranka Rebeka Anić, Ph.D., President of the Croatian Section of the ESWTR and chairwoman of the program-organizing committee of the conference, said that the importance of this conference is not merely that it is “the first international conference of female theologians in Croatia but also because it has an interdisciplinary approach and has been conceived as an active and critical exchange of the knowledge and experience of both male and female scholars and women active in NGOs. This approach is intended to promote the spread of scholarly ideas and check the usefulness of scientific research on the basis of needs that have been observed in the actual work of NGOs.” The conference is intended to highlight the theme of suffering and hopes, which touches on one of the central mysteries of Christian faith, which is the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection, focusing upon the phenomenology, history, theology and social background of the suffering and hopes of women, said Dr. Anić. “The context of Central and Eastern Europe is one of neglect regarding the suffering and hopes of men and other sexual identities. This involves a methodological approach that facilitates a better understanding of gender-marked forms and contexts of suffering, and the theological foundations thereof. Theological thought of the twentieth century also pondered the question of suffering in terms of ethnic, class, gender and other differences. The Regional Conference of the European Society of Women in Theological Research relies on these achievements and contextualizes them in the example of the former socialist countries,” said Dr. Anić.