Bridge builder between theologies and society

In acknowledgement of Stefanos Athanasiou’s research, Pope Benedict XVI admitted him to his New Circle of Students as the only Orthodox theologian in the group. It was an experience that opened the door to personal encounters with the pontiff and deep scholarly exchanges about his theology. “Joseph Ratzinger repeatedly emphasized the closeness between Orthodox theology and the Catholic Church,” recalls Athanasiou. “And he stressed time and again in our conversations that many aspects that supposedly divide the two denominations actually belong to the shared heritage of the Catholic and Orthodox theology.”

Since last year, Stefanos Athanasiou has been Chaired Professor (W3) of Systematic Theology (Dogmatics, Ethics, and Ecumenical Theology) at LMU. Among other things, his research focuses on the intersections between Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant theology.

He recalls how Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI, saw the relativization of the person of Jesus Christ as an acute threat to the Christian faith. “It’s similar in Orthodox theology, where truth is seen as personified in Jesus Christ. As such, relativizing truth would lead to an unraveling of Christian faith. None of which, I might add, denies the dialogical nature of theology.” Certainly there are differences between the theologies (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant) and religions, which are primarily the result of different cultural development, but also bear on theological perspectives, such as the papacy, the meaning of Christian ministry, the theological conception of Mary, etc. Academic discussion of these subjects is not only intellectually exciting for Athanasiou, but also fosters dialogue between the various theological traditions and thus promotes peace in society.

For Athanasiou, the move to LMU on 1 August 2023 was a return to his alma mater. After obtaining his high-school leaving certificate, he studied at the Institute of Orthodox Theology at LMU until the intermediate examinations (Vordiplom). Then he switched to the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he completed his studies and did a doctorate in the field of systematic theology. During a habilitation-conforming postdoc, also in Thessaloniki, Athanasiou investigated the meaning of truth and reason in modern society.

Theologian, priest, and radio presenter

His foundational theological education completed, he worked as an assistant professor at the Institute of Old Catholic Theology and the Department of Protestant Theology at the University of Bern. Meanwhile, he lectured on Orthodox theology at Logos University College Tirana and on ecumenical theology at the University of Bonn. He was also a visiting lecturer at the German-language Abbey of the Dormition in Jerusalem, the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, and at Chur School of Theology in Switzerland, and was a visiting fellow at the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine at the University of Zurich.

Since 2016, Athanasiou has also been a priest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Metropolis of Switzerland. From 2018 until his move to LMU, he lectured in the theology of the Eastern Church at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Fribourg. Alongside this role, he was an editor and presenter at Radio Maria Schweiz for a few years, where he discussed ethical and theological questions with listeners and studio guests. “The intensive contact with people, especially during the coronavirus period, made this one of the best experiences of my life,” says Athanasiou.

In his ecumenical research, he delved deeper in Protestant theology in addition to Catholic thought. For example, he researched the political theology of the Protestant theologian Dorothee Sölle, “who could be regarded as the theological antithesis to Ratzinger.” He capped his bioethical research with a doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Zurich. In relation to social ethics, Athanasiou emphasizes that while the Catholic Church defines ethical norms through magisterial decisions and Protestant churches define them through dialogical writings, Orthodox theology takes a different path. “According to this theological tradition, a healthy spiritual life – including prayer and attendance at mass – automatically leads to ethical behavior even without explicit documents or magisterial decisions.”

“Calming spirituality of Orthodoxy”  

Athanasiou sees this as a reason for the burgeoning popularity of the Orthodox Church. “The sense that the Church is on a downward slope is not our experience as Orthodox Christians,” says Athanasiou. “The numbers of faithful are continually increasing in the German-speaking world in particular – indeed we should really be building more churches.” This phenomenon is apparent in Bavarian schools. In Bavaria alone, there are almost 100,000 schoolchildren who profess Orthodox Christianity.

Under the provisions of the Bavarian and the German constitutions, which stipulate that religious instruction forms a regular part of the curriculum, Orthodox religion classes should actually be brought into schools on an equal footing with those of the other churches. Athanasiou and his colleagues want LMU Munich, and the Institute of Orthodox Theology more specifically, to be in a position to provide solid, high-quality academic education for Orthodox teachers in the future. This would require the establishment of an additional chair in Orthodox religious education at LMU.

Athanasiou cites the current migration of Orthodox refugees from Ukraine as the main driver of the rising numbers of Orthodox believers in Germany. But general interest in the Orthodox faith is also increasing. “Many of these newcomers to Orthodox Christianity are without previous religious affiliation and are seeking answers to their spiritual questions – and a refuge where not everything has to be logically explained,” affirms Athanasiou. “The Orthodox Church offers them a calming spirituality through its acceptance of mystery and the incompleteness of our understanding of the divine.”

Athanasiou reports how the experiences he was able to acquire in ethics and medicine, in addition to theology, broadened his horizons. “Particularly in the domain of ethics, religions must cooperate and follow a common golden thread.” At the same time, ethics must contain universal, unchanging values that persist through generations. “Otherwise, they’re vulnerable to political redefinition, as happened during National Socialism.” Athanasiou’s goal is to build up an international network between LMU, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and other institutions to discuss ethical questions in AI, while making certain not to neglect the task of nurturing the next generation of scholars.

He is also looking to establish a similar platform for Orthodox doctors. “At the University of Bern, we did some really nice research into difficult decisions in hospitals. When I’ve got more patients than beds in the intensive care unit, for example, who gets them?” Specifically, younger doctors perceived this decision as a personal burden and one they could not square with their consciences – preferring to delegate such decisions to AI in the future. “But do we really want someday for AI, on its own, to make decisions about life and death or treatment and non-treatment?”

In a rapidly developing technological world, says Athanasiou, only cooperation between science and theology can ensure ethically grounded answers to such questions. And, he observes, this will ultimately also have effects on our democratic society, as democracy needs people who are not afraid to shoulder responsibility.