Institute for Ecumenical Studies
The Institutum Studiorum Oecumenicorum , ISO for short , German Institute for Ecumenical Studies, is an interdisciplinary research facility of the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Friborg . It deepens theological education in the complexity of Christianity and focuses on "the growing communion of the churches, the theological dialogue and the common witness of Christians". The theology of ecumenism in dialogue with Orthodoxy and the Reformation communities is a competence center of the faculty.
history
The institute was founded during the Second Vatican Council in 1964. In the context of religious belief formation, it deals with the western church developments of the various denominations as well as with the eastern churches . Its history in particular is an important subject of research, partly in collaboration with other "Eastern Church Institutes". This also includes the Orthodoxia directory , which has been published annually by the Eastern Church Institute in Regensburg since 1982 , in which all Orthodox bishops are listed, and which has been published by the Freiburg Institute since 2015. The institute is linked to church and academic institutions through numerous partnerships.
Facilities
Members of the theological faculty as well as representatives of church life in Switzerland belong to the board of directors. The center of the institute is the library in Friborg named after the Reformed pastor and hagiographer Walter Nigg . The house can accommodate guests and serves as a meeting room.
The tasks of the ISO include teaching events in the field of ecumenical theology , research projects, scientific conferences, specialized libraries, exchange programs for students of other church traditions, study trips, scientific publications and the performance of mandates in ecumenical bodies.