“Global health challenges are complex and therefore require institutional partnerships for research and training.”  

(Winchester et al., 2016, 5.)

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Welcome to the website of the international conference “The Mission of the Church in the Era of Global Public Health.”

It will be held virtually from March 30 – April 1, 2022.

The Conference

This conference wants to bring out some of the current health challenges in public and global health. By connecting experts from different fields of research and practice we hope to stimulate further reflection and exchange concerning the possibilities of Church engagement in this field.

The conference is funded by the German Research Foundation

The Theme

The “Institut für Weltkirche und Mission” (Institute for the Global Church and Mission) wants to encourage scholars from different academic disciplines to reflect on the role and mission of the Church in the context of the current global health challenges. From its beginnings, missionary activity has included care for the sick and work in the field of health care; therefore, one of our research focuses is „Mission and Health“ within which this conference is organized.

Theological studies on bioethical and medical issues are generally oriented toward either classical bioethical topics or clinical ethics while the broader aspect of the health of the population(s) often remains neglected. Public and global health have not yet found a significant place in theological discourse. On the other hand, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the magnitude of interconnectedness between peoples and nations. The impact that national public health has on global health and vice versa is becoming more and more evident. This situation has inspired a lot of studies and conferences regarding the ethical, social and medical challenges of a global pandemic. Nevertheless, there is still a notable gap in the ecclesiastical reflection on the role of the Catholic Church in both public and global health.

The program will encompass broad area of health sciences and theology such:

• • • Public and Global Health
    • Moral Theology
    • Bioethics
    • Health Pastoral
    • Missiology
    • Social Engagement of the Church

	Further Details about the project
	Download Conference Flyer (in PDF)

Aims

The conference wants to reflect on the role of the Catholic Church and its healing mission in this particular historical context. Experts from the fields of theology, philosophy, bioethics, public and global health will reflect on many relevant topics starting from the founding of the healing mission of the Church, anthropology of health, and the challenges of global health worldwide. Ultimately, the goal is to consider the specific ways of Church engagement from the international level to the local one.
The international experts will present the state of research in their respective fields mentioned above in order to stimulate discussion. In addition to the academic debate, there would also be room for pastoral questions and challenges.
In our virtual space, participants can expect different formats: presentations, panels, young scholar sessions, socializing event, and much more. In addition to the discussion of content, the opportunity for networking and the exchange of ideas beyond the conference is of great importance to us.

Further information and questions

	Speakers
	Call for Papers – Young Scholar Pre-Conference
	Register NOW
	For questions or further information, please contact us at in English, German and Spanish at sekr [at] iwm [dot] sankt-georgen [dot] de

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