The year 2024 marks the 10th Anniversary of the Canonization of St. Pope John Paul. The Polish
Pope has always emphasized the significance of reason and faith. In the Fides et Ratio, he said that
“faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” He
stressed that faith and reason are harmonious and necessary for the contemplation of truth, and he
applied this connection to the scientific investigation of the universe.
Moreover, he also stressed the significance of culture, which embraces everything in which man is at once the center, the subject, and the object. In many of his addresses, the underlying message focuses on establishing a climate of openness, dialogue, and cooperation among science, culture, and religion because they are not to be seen as competing against each other. John Paul II sees a growing critical openness towards people of different cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints.
There is then a greater opportunity for intellectual coherence and collaboration and to discover values and experiences common to these different dimensions of our intellectual life. It is, therefore, necessary to reflect on the commonalities and diversities motivated by respectful openness, dynamic exchange, and critical collaboration among them.
In the spirit of dialogue and in commemoration of the 10 th Anniversary of the Canonization of St.
Pope John Paul II, we organize this International Conference with the theme God and the World:
Dialogues on Culture, Religion, and Science. The objective is to bring together scientists,
philosophers, theologians, and other intellectuals to converse, share their respective insights, and
foster a dynamic collaboration among these men and women of learning toward mutual
understanding and a gradual uncovering of common concerns, which will provide the basis for
further research and discussions.
This international conference is co-organized by the University of Santo Tomas (through the
Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy, the Center for Theology, Religious Studies and Ethics and its
Center for Dialogue with Cultures and Religions in Asia, the Institute of Religion, the Graduate
School, and the College of Science) and the Philippine National Philosophical Research Society
(PNPRS), the John Paul II Society of the Philippines, and the John Paul II Institute of the Catholic
University of Lublin. This will be done on June 26-28, 2024 through a Hyflex mode with the Thomas
Aquinas Research Complex Auditorium, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines, as the
onsite venue.
Interested scholars may check the details of the Conference and the Call for Papers through the FB
Page of the PNPRS: https://bit.ly/JP2Conference2024.
Questions may be sent to jp2.dialogue.conferences@ust.edu.ph. The organizers may also be
contacted through the CTRSE Office: +63-2 9786-1611 loc. 8659.
