After the Vatican considerably reduced the ecclesiastical rights of the Armenian Catholics in 1867 and the papal claim to authority was dogmatically legitimized in 1870 at the First Vatican Council, it came to a Schism with Rome under the Armenian Catholics. The main protagonists of the Armenian resistance were excommunicated. The ecclesiastical controversy was not limited within the Ottoman Empire and Rome. It expanded soon into a transnational conflict, as the European powers used it as a pretext for the pursuit of their imperial goals in the East.
In the hope of support from like-minded Catholics, the Armenian anti-ultramontane minded Catholics made a contact with the Old Catholics in the German Empire, the Christian Catholics (Old Catholics) in Switzerland and the Anglicans in England. They formed together an anti-ultramontane front against the papal claim to authority. The Armenian schism was abrogated in late 1870s, but its consequences had a longer effect.
At the planned conference it should foregrounded, how a conflict originally between the Armenian Catholics and Rom was expanded beyond the religious and national boundaries and gained a transnational dimension in the 19th century. At the same time the tight intertwining of church and politics and the complexity of political and ecclesiastical interests of various European powers and their different political and religious contexts, as well as the processes and the development of anti-ultramontane movements in Armenia and other countries should be picked up as a central theme.
Presentation drafts may be submitted on the following topics and issues:
- Political power relations between separate European powers and the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century.
- The position of the Uniate Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
- Ecclesiastical, church-political and political factors in the development and abolition of the Armenian schism.
- The Ultramontanization ofthe Roman Catholicism in the 19th century and the role of the First Vatican Council for it.
- The rise of anti-ultramontane movements in the 19th century in different countries.
- International and transnational dimensions of the anti-ultramontanism.
- Also methodological contributions, such as approaches to transnational (church)-history are welcome.
Language: German and English
Invitation: The participation in the conference and in the conference-discussions is free for all interested young researchers and experts by appointment.
Following keynote speakers are already participants: Dr. Charlotte Methuen (Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Glasgow), Prof. Dr. Rafi Hacik Gazer (Institut für Kirchengeschichte, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg), Dr. Herman Schwedt (Italy, formerly diocese Archives in Limburg), Prof. Dr. Stefan Troebst (Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum Geschichte und Kultur Ostmitteleuropas (GWZO), Universität Leipzig), Prof. Dr. Angela Berlis (Departement für Christkatholische Theologie, Universität Bern) as experts as well as Antony Dutton as young Researcher.
Short presentations: Please send your proposals (up to 500 words) and CVs by the 25th of November 2014 to Mariam Kartashyan <mariam.kartashyan@theol.unibe.ch>. The selected papers will be announced by early December 2014. Up to five young researchers from abroad will receive free accommodation and reimbursement of their travel expenses.
The conference is supported by the Nachwuchsförderungs-Projektpoolat the University of Bern and the SUK-PhD program of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Bern.