The responsibility of journalists during an information war discussed in Lviv

On October 1, the round table "The Profession’s Mission: The Journalist’s Responsibility to the Community" was part of the ESW. Participants discussed journalistic standards and the journalist’s need to observe general ethical standards and the media’s responsibility to society.

Media expert Larysa Mudrak noted that information is now being converted into weapons similar to nuclear ones, which are used to disarm the nation. The participants agreed that Ukrainians need substantial media education. During the debate the ways to protect the Ukrainian media space in time of an information war and attempts to establish the boundary between protecting informational identity and censorship were discussed.

Sonia Koshkina, Chief Editor of the online edition "Livyi Bereh," shared her experience of online publications’ work in terms of an undeclared war. Alim Aliyev, co-founder of the initiative Crimea SOS, said that the most important motivation for the organizers of the initiative is the people's faith in the resource. Alim Aliyev said that the main wish of the founders of Crimea SOS is the fastest possible return of Crimea to Ukraine, after which the resource Crimea SOS will cease to exist. Natalia Seliukova, representative of the NGO "Ukrainian Space," declared the need to reform Ukraine's information space.

The Responsibility of a Christian Today

On September 29, as part of the 7th ESW, the session hall of the Lviv Regional Council hosted an academic conference "The Responsibility of a Christian in Modern Society." The academic conference began with an ecumenical
prayer for peace in Ukraine.
An advisor to the president of Ukraine, head of the Department of Constitutional and Legal Modernization at the
Office of the President of Ukraine, Maryna Stavniychuk, focused on the fact that Christian values should be incorporated into the basis of legal processes in Ukraine.
Professor of Theology at Oxford University Graham Ward in his presentation "The Kingdom of God: The Other Side of Sectarianism," drew attention to the dangers of multiculturalism in the UK experience. The head of the Kharkiv Human Rights Group, Yevhen Zakharov, analyzed the human rights situation in Ukraine. He noted that political freedom in the country, with the exception of the territory covered with ATO (anti-terrorist operations) and Crimea, is high. However, human rights violations have become the norm. The speech of Ihor Todorov, Ph.D., professor of international relations and foreign policy at Donetsk National University, who outlined the public attitudes of
Donetsk area and causes that have shaped them, ended the conference.

7th Ecumenical Social Week opens

On September 29 the ceremonial opening of the 7th Ecumenical Social Week, "The Responsibility of a Christian in Modern Society," which ran until October 4, was held at the Lviv City Council. Participating in the press conference were: Ihor Todorov, Ph.D., professor of international relations and foreign policy at Donetsk National University; Iryna Podoliak, head of the Culture Department at the Lviv City Council; and Maria Kandyba, coordinator of the ESW.
"This year has brought a lot of changes to our country, and we have all faced many challenges. We must accordingly respond to this. That is why the organizers of the forum chose the topic "The Responsibility of a Christian in Modern Society," said Maria Kandyba.
Iryna Podolak noted that from its inception to the present day the Ecumenical Social Week has developed significantly and pointed out that Lviv is a great platform for initiatives in Ukraine, which often occur there for the first time.
Ihor Todorov said that the forum deserves total support and respect.

Bernard Chenevez

General Secretary of Social Weeks - France

Round table "Formation of a socially responsible society: Europian e[perience, Ukrainian perspectives"

October 1, 2014

Presentation

Frans Hoppenbrouwers

Foundation Communicantes, Tilburg, Netherlands

Seminar of the Ukrainian Christian Academic Society (UCAS) “Memory, History, Identity”

October 2, 2014

Christ and Christian Faith are Universal, Unbound to Man-Made Frontiers

Introduction. When I was invited to present a short lecture at this meeting, I was told that we would discuss the question, whether the EuroMaidan had brought a Church union closer. This is an interesting and complicated issue. It is very much connected to the way in which we understand the dynamics between Christ – faith, Church, believers – on the one hand, and the culture, the secular world in which Christians find themselves embedded on the other. In a nutshell, here, the dialectics of Christ and culture come into play.