Interview
In a video interview, he reflects on the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI), Nicaea 2025, and decolonizing mission.
Coorilos is part of a working group on the GETI programme for 2025, to be held in conjunction with the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order marking the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
Students in GETI will explore not only the theme of the conference—“Where now for visible unity?”—but also what it means to decolonize mission.
“These can be brought together in a harmonious manner, theologically speaking, in the GETI programme,” says Coorilos, who adds his hopes for commemorating the Council of Nicaea.
“I’m excited about it in some sense but I really hope that it would not be an event that will simply celebrate a past event from a romanticized perspective,” he said. “I hope that it will also provide an opportunity for a critical look at what happened in Nicaea.”
Coorilos acknowledges that the Council of Nicaea needs to be celebrated. “But i think that there should also be space to look at Nicaea as it was convened by the emperor,” he said. “Now that we talk about post-colonial mission, and mission from a de-colonial perspective, I hope this will provide an opportunity to look at Nicaea from that perspective of the empire and how we can offer a critique from a post-colonial, de-colonial perspective.”
He concludes by reflecting on how, in a world with may challenges, most signs of hope come from young people. GETI, he adds, will be an opportunity to bring young people together in large numbers.
“I hope we’ll be able to overcome some borders and influences and provide an inclusive and democratic space where students and young people from all over the world can be partners and full participants,” he says.
