GAMING, AUSTRIA (2007)

The 1st International Symposium on John Paul II’s Theology of the Body

Gaming, Austria, May 18-20, 2007

What is the dignity of the human person?

What is the true meaning of human sexuality, human love and divine love?

How does the human body reveal the inner life of the Trinity?

Why is the flesh instrumental in the salvation of humanity?

What do masculinity and femininity teach us about ourselves and about God?

From May 18-20, 2007, scholars, writers, and catechists from around the world gathered at a beautifully restored fourteenth century  Carthusian monastery in Gaming, Austria, to explore these questions and many  more. Man and Woman He Created Them: An  International Symposium on John Paul II’s Theology of the Body aimed to  deepen the Church’s understanding of John Paul’s Theology of the Body.

The Symposium began on May 18, 2007, which was the 87th anniversary of the birth of Karol Wojtyła and which was meant to be, first of all, a celebration of the gift of his life, his Pontificate and his abiding legacy. Secondly, the event was a great occasion to honour and thank DDr. Michael Waldstein for his new  translation of the Theology of the Body: Man and Woman He Created Them.  Thirdly, the uniqueness of this conference consisted in bringing together – perhaps for the first time – scholars and popular presenters and inviting them to engage in a sincere and fruitful dialogue.

Hosted by the Franciscan University of Steubenville (the Austrian program), the 1st  International TOB Symposium brought together seventeen International speakers and over two hundred and  twenty participants from twenty-nine different countries (Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Croatia, the Czech republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Germany, Holland, India, Ireland, Kenya, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the Ukraine and the United States of America).