International conference organised by the Faculty of Theology

The Faculty of Theology is organising a two-day international conference on ‘Reconsidering Transcendence. Between Presence and Absence’ between the 10th and 11th May 2019.

The conference shall take place at the Auditorium of the Faculty of ICT, at the University of Malta.

Twenty-three local and foreign speakers will address the five plenary sessions of the conference. Professor Yvonne Dohna Schlobitten (Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome) will deliver the opening lecture at 10:30. Another keynote lecture will be given by Professor Gianluigi Pasquale (Pontifical Lateran University, Rome) on the second day of the conference at 08:45.

The first plenary session contextualises the theme of transcendence in view of biblical anthropology. In the second session, the theme is examined in light of the history of thought, mainly with reference to major philosopher-theologians including Gregory of Nyssa, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Kierkegaard and other contemporary figures. Transcendence is consequently studied in the third session in view of spirituality and from a wider religious perspective.

In the fourth plenary session, the speakers seek to provide an ecclesial and a societal definition of transcendence. Lastly, the theme is examined in view of humanity’s desire to attain greater realities. The conference attempts to provide reasons why we need to reconsider transcendence again as well as to reflect on where we stand between ‘presence’ and ‘absence’.

Download the conference programme [PDF]. 

Entrance is free. Registration is obligatory and available online. 

Convenor: Rev. Dr John Berry (Dean, Faculty of Theology)