LMU BELLARMINE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS | The number of people who have been forced from their homes in recent years because of various conflicts and disasters is the largest in human history. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR, “An unprecedented 68.5 million people around the world have been forced to flee. Among them are nearly 25.4 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18.” This crisis is one of the largest modern challenges for our societies and for our churches.
The Huffington Ecumenical Institute recognizes the refugee crisis not only as a challenge, but also as an ecumenical opportunity: churches’ solidarity in helping immigrants can also help them overcome many of their old disagreements. The 2019 Symposium will address the refugee crisis from various angles. These will include how Catholic, Byzantine, and Oriental churches can acknowledge, act, and respond to the crisis, and how universities that embody and profess religious values can make higher education more accessible to refugees. We believe that bringing together narratives of ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue, and higher education will bring us one step closer to tackling the refugee crisis.
View the complete schedule and RSVP at: Bellarmine.lmu.edu/heisymposium
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019
11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Loyola Marymount University
