From 8 to 10 May 8 2026, the symposium “Old and New Things in Social Theology: From Rerum Novarum to the Current Pontificate” was held in Bucharest, Romania.
The Roman Catholic Faculty of Theology in Bucharest facilitated a discussion analyzing social theology from Rerum Novarum to the present day. The event highlighted the “creative continuity” between tradition and modernity, transforming the Church’s heritage into a compass for navigating global challenges.
Through a dialogue involving theology, philosophy, and the social sciences, speakers such as Msgr. Gloder (Apostolic Nuncio to Romania and the Republic of Moldova), Msgr. Frățilă (Greek-Catholic Bishop of Bucharest), and professors F. Dubois and V. Limone placed human dignity and the common good back as the focus of the topic.
More than just a conference, the symposium served as a laboratory for actualising the social vocation of the faith—a necessary bridge between history and the future.
Among the contributions, the figure of Chiara Lubich emerged as a bridge connecting the roots of Rerum Novarum with the challenges of the present. Her fidelity to the Church was not a matter of stagnation, but a dynamic force that brings tradition up to date, turning it into a living response to today’s urgent needs. While Leo XIII establishes the social principles, Lubich embodied them through the perspective of the “Economy of Communion”, promoting the concept of social justice within the framework of universal brotherhood.
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