On Thursday 13 September 2018, a delegation of professors and students coming from Marburg (Germany) and Freiburg (Switzerland) visited the Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand and the Institute of Theology.
This visit took place in the framework of a ten-day study trip organized by both the Protestant Faculty of Theology in Marburg and the Catholic Faculty of Theology in Freiburg (Switzerland). The delegation had a guided tour to the monastery and was introduced to its richness in spirituality, art, and manuscripts. Once at the Institute of Theology, they had a session of dialog and exchange with the Dean, Rev. Father Dr. Porphyrios Georgi, together with some members of the faculty. In the end, they were invited to lunch with the Balamand community where they heard some hymns performed by the students.
The organizers of the trip were Prof. Dr. Karl Pinggéra, a member of the Kurhessen-Waldeck Protestant Church with which the Patriarchate of Antioch has decades of partnership, and Prof Dr. Joachim Negel, a professor of Fundamental Theology in Freiburg. The aim of this trip was to learn more about Christianity in the Middle East and particularly about the historical churches in the region.
