Orthodox Theologians at the Warsaw University

Fr. George Klinger

Karina Michaluk
29.11.2010

The Polish Orthodox Church

This year’s IX Caucasus session of the St. Gregory Peradze at the University of Warsaw will be the largely related to Orthodoxy. The theme of the conference was the legacy of three major Orthodox figures – the patron of the conference, St. Gregory Peradze, fr. George Klinger and metropolitan Dionysius (Waledyński).

On the first day, December 6, a lecture on the works of fr. George Klinger, will be delivered by prof. Waclaw Hryniewicz. Father Henryk Paprocki will tell of the friendship of fr. Klinger with prof. George Nowosielski, and David Kolbai about the activities of the metropolitan Dionysius and Gregory Peradze at the pre-war Warsaw University.

On Tuesday, December 7, the session will explore the entire scientific heritage of Gregory Peradze. During the afternoon session about the metropolitan Dionysius and St. Gregory speeches will held prof. Antoni Mironowicz, Michał Klinger, and Jan Turnau from Gazeta Wyborcza, Grzegorz Polak from TV channel religia.tv, fr. Andrzej Borkowski and fr. Henryk Paprocki.

The third day of the conference will debate on the Caucasus.

It should also be noted that the conference traditionally begins on December 6 at 16.45 – which is considered as the hour of death of Gregory Peradze – when by the slab commemorating the UW professors who were killed during the war, are laid flowers. In addition, on Monday morning ( at 8.00 a.m.) at the Orthodox chapel in Wilcza Street 31 in Warsaw will be celebrated the Divine Liturgy.

George Klinger was born in 1918 in Smolensk. He studied in Poznan, where he was caught by the outbreak of World War II. He moved to Warsaw (where he was performing different jobs including a reseller of iron stoves, as well as Polish and Latin secret teacher), actively participating in the liturgical life of Orthodox cathedral in Prague. George Klinger graduated from seminary in Warsaw and studied theology in Poland, France and Czechoslovakia. He was ordained a priest in 1952, he carried out pastoral work in Ketrzyn, Warsaw and Poznan. In 1962 he received a doctorate in theology. In parallel with the pastoral work he has been active in research and teaching. He wrote several articles on Russian philosophy, translated into Polish “Orthodoxy” Evdokimova, and was the first, who brought from Paris books of important Russian thinkers. He died in 1976.

Dionysius Waledyński (secular name Constantine) was born in 1879 in Muromie. He become the head of the Orthodox Church in Poland in 1923.He also led to the successful obtaining of autocephaly from the Patriarchate of Constantinople by the Church in Poland. For his efforts in bringing autocephaly for Orthodox Church in Poland he was distinguished with the Grand Ribbon of the Order of the Polish Revival. In 1925, he blessed the opening of the School of Orthodox Theology at the University of Warsaw, where he taught. He also invited to Poland Gregory Peradze. Metropolitan Dionysius (Waledyński) is the author of numerous articles in the field of Christian archeology, homiletics, and the history of Christianity, published in the Orthodox press in Russia and Poland (including the magazine “Elpis”). He held the office until 1946, when he was removed by the stalinist authorities and placed under house arrest. He died in 1960.

St. Gregory Peradze was born in 1899 in Bakurciche. He took tonsure and was ordained a priest in 1931, in Paris. In 1933 he came to Poland, where he became a lecturer at the School of Orthodox Theology at the University of Warsaw. Gregory Peradze was an active scientist and explorer, which resulted in his numerous works on theological subjects. In 1942 he was arrested by the gestapo. December 6, 1942 he was killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Conference Program

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