“Christianity and Conservatism” – interdisciplinary conference
University of Wrocław, in cooperation with the European Council for Entrepreneurship, Science and Culture, organized the international Christianity & Conservatism Conference.
The event took place on March 19-20, 2026, and brought together 29 academics from various disciplines, as well as representatives of the wider social environment from the United Kingdom, the United States, Malta, Norway, Hungary, Romania, and Poland. Participants were affiliated with institutions such as the University of Oxford, the University of Malta, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest, and St. Edward’s University in Austin.
The conference was held under the honorary patronage of the Rector of the University of Wrocław, prof. dr hab. Robert Olkiewicz. In his opening remarks, he noted that university is a place where issues that may be considered “intellectually unfashionable” – sometimes more difficult to address than those that are openly prohibited – keep their importance. In this context, he expressed appreciation for the organizers’ aim of fostering a “culture of debate” – discourse that demands resistance to replacing solid reflection with intensity of argument and is characterized by openness to revising one’s views under the influence of substantive discussion. He also emphasized the complex relationship between Christianity and conservatism, describing it as one of “creative tension.” In his words: “Christianity contains an imperative for radical renewal that does not always align with every form of political or social conservatism”.
The discussion on Christianity, involving representatives of its various traditions – Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox – was opened by Bishop prof. dr hab. Andrzej Siemieniewski, a member of the Scientific Council of the Polish Episcopal Conference, and Bishop Marcin Orawski of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church. The session devoted to conservatism began with a lecture by John O’Sullivan, former senior political adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former deputy director of Radio Free Europe.
On behalf of the University of Wrocław, the conference was co-organized by units of the Faculty of Social Sciences: the Institute of Philosophy (Centre for Prognostic Research on Religious Transformations) and the Institute of European Studies (Department of European History, Civilisation and Socio-Economic Thought).
A photo report from the event was prepared by Paweł Piotrowski.
Translated by Julia Szołtysik (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
Date of publication: 25.03.2026
Added by: EJK
