The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has seconded a researcher to the Conference of European Churches (CEC) to work on the evolution of the dialogues between the Orthodox Churches and the Churches of the Reformation. Dr Kaisamari Hintikka will work as Project Secretary for the Churches in Dialogue Commission of CEC on a part time basis from April through December 2007.

She will be based in Helsinki, and her work will be under the supervision of Prof. Dr Viorel Ionita, Director-designate of the Churches in Dialogue Commission.

Dr Hintikka’s project will include collecting all available material related to the dialogues between Orthodox Churches and other CEC member churches; inquiring about how the different churches receive the results of the dialogues they are involved in; studying how the recommendations from the dialogues have been implemented by the respective churches; and collecting information about good practice for dialogue and encounters between Orthodox Churches and other CEC member churches.

“One of the most important working priorities for the Churches in Dialogue Commission in the next period of time”, said Prof. Ionita, “will be the evaluation in a comparative way of the theological dialogues between the Orthodox Churches and the other CEC member churches. Through this evaluation the Churches in Dialogue Commission hopes to facilitate the reception process of these dialogues as well as a more efficient continuation of them. We are very grateful to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for seconding Dr. Kaisamari Hintikka to CEC in order to assist this project. I am pleased that Dr Hintikka will bring to this project her expertise and  her church’s experience of dialogue with Orthodox Churches.”

Dr Kaisamari Hintikka was born in Helsinki in 1967. She is Associate Secretary of the Department for international relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and a researcher at the Catherine Institute of the University of Helsinki (the former Department of Orthodoxy and East European Church Studies). She holds a Doctor degree in Theology from the University of Helsinki.

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