Il saluto introduttivo del Rev.mo Abate Dom Donato Ogliari ai partecipanti al XXVII Colloquio Ecumenico Paolino

Saluto introduttivo

Colloquium Oecumenicum Paulinum 2026
Greetings

Dear Professors and Friends,

Before starting our “Opening prayer” I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you who are taking part in the 27th Colloquium Oecumenicum Paulinum. I do so, above all on behalf of the Benedictine community of St Paul Outside the Walls, which is delighted to host you once again within its monastic walls.

As usual we will ensure that, beside the working time, your stay be enriched by the spirit of fellowship and by the liturgical celebrations, some of which we will share.

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This week, you will be tackling the so-called “parenetic section” of the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans. Being the only letter written to a community that the Apostle did not found, it lacks his direct oral teaching and his personal acquaintance with the Christians of the community of Rome.

For this reason, in this letter – more so than in the others – Paul must refer to starting points and shared theoretical content that formed part of the common cultural background. This is shown by the section you will be analysing – Romans 12:1–15:13 – which contains passages that rework ethical and socio-political themes, integrating, in a remarkable way, the philosophical foundations of Judaism and those of the Hellenistic Roman era with the novelty of Christ’s message.

I am sure that the results of your studies and of the discussions that will keep you occupied over the coming days will prove particularly valuable, not only for gaining a better understanding of the Pauline texts, but also for shedding light on the hermeneutical principles by which the Christian Churches – even in our own time and through ever closer ecumenical dialogue – can proclaim the specifically Christian message bearing in mind the cultural and social context in which they operate.

While I wish you every success in your work, I entrust the latter and all of you to the intercession of the great Apostle Paul, the vas electionis (cf. Acts 9,15), the «slave of Christ Jesus, (…) set apart for the gospel of God» (Rm 1,1).

May the presence of his remains amongst us be a source of inspiration for your discussions and an encouragement to experience, in the days ahead, fraternal relationships shaped by the words of Jesus: “ἵνα ἓν ὦσιν – ut unum sint”.