LONDON, UK (2011)

A Timeless Catechesis on Life and Love: 3rd International Symposium on John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, 2011.

St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, London

Conference Purpose and
Goals

Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body is receiving ever greater attention, as more and more people are seeing and experiencing its ability to enrich their lives, marriages and families. Building on the first and second International Symposia (Gaming, Austria 2007; Maynooth, Ireland 2009), this 3rd International Symposium in London, 3-5 June 2011, will present a profound reflection on the text of the Pope just one month after his beatification. An international gathering of some of the world’s best scholars and enthusiasts, the Third International Symposium will seek to deepen and broaden the understanding of Theology of the Body by exploring a wide range of themes within it. Topics to be developed include: Exposing false views of the body in light of the Catholic view of the goodness of the body/soul person; Exploring the experienced beauty of love in relation to John Paul II’s method; Showing how Theology of the Body reveals the inner meaning of marriage and family; Discovering themes in Theology of the Body which are foundational for authentic bioethics. All of the presentations will be set within the context of helping to deepen the pastoral application of Catholic teaching about human love, the body, and sexuality. Attendees will receive the tools they need to communicate the truth clearly and with confidence in a way that reveals the deep congeniality between this Church teaching and one’s own happiness, love and family life.

Conference Host and Location

Recently visited by Pope Benedict XVI during his state visit to the United Kingdom, St.  Mary’s University College is the ideal venue for this International Symposium. The mission of St Mary’s is to provide high-quality academic and professional higher education within a collegial ethos and sustained by Christian values. Situated on the beautiful and leafy Strawberry Hill Campus in Twickenham, St Mary’s has excellent transport routes and is only nine miles away from Heathrow Airport.

I am very pleased that the 3rd International Theology of the Body Symposium is taking place in the Diocese of Westminster, at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham. No doubt the exploration of the goodness, truth and beauty of human sexuality by the Conference’s eminent participants will enrich the still unfolding understanding of the pastoral relevance of Pope John Paul’s witness to the dignity of the human body, which God has created to share in nothing less than his own glory. Aided by the powerful intercession of the Servant of God John Paul II, may the Conference be successful in “Seeking God’s plan for love and life.”

Most Reverend Vincent Nichols; Archbishop of Westminster