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100 Years of Religious Freedom in Finland Celebration Symposium

European Consortium for Church and State Research Conference will be held 22.-23.9.
  • Symposium
  • Languages and cultures
Event date:
Time:
10:00–16:00
Event location:
Joensuu campus, Aurora building, auditorium AU100, and online
Additional information:
Yliopistokatu 2, entrance B
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​The European Consortium for Church and State Research conference will be held at the University of Eastern Finland's Joensuu campus and Joensuu Science Park on 21-23 September 2023.  

On 21 September 2023, the first day of the conference, will be a Celebration Symposium on "100 Years of Religious Freedom in Finland", with presentations by a number of internationally renowned human rights lawyers from Finland. The Symposium is open to the general public and will be streamed. 

9.30 Participants Registration at the Aurora Building 

10.00 – 10.30 Opening Session

Official greetings:

Academic Rector Tapio Määttä, University of Eastern Finland/Law School

Celebratory greetings, Joensuu City

Senior Ministerial Adviser, Legal Affairs, Hanna Kiiskinen, Ministry of Education and Culture

Professor Matti Kotiranta, person in charge of the meeting 

10.30 – 12.30 International Conference and Celebration Symposium "100 Years of Religious Freedom in Finland" 

Aurora building, Entrance B, Auditorium AU100

The Celebratory Symposium is open to the public.

Four Key Notes and Panel discussion: 

Chair: Professor Matti Kotiranta, University of Eatern Finland

Professor Martin Scheinin, University of Oxford/European University Institute in Florence: 
The Development of Religious Freedom in the History of Finnish Independence (1917–2023) viewed from the Perspective of Fundamental and Human Rights.

Professor Tuomas Ojanen, University of Helsinki:
The Mutual Relationship between Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech in the Digital (online)Environment.

Deputy Onbundsman Maija Sakslin, Parliament:
Freedom of Religion in Legality Supervision. 

Professor Matti Kotiranta, University of Eastern Finland: 
100 years of the 1923 Tomos of the Synod of Constantinople, in which the Finnish Orthodox Church was granted Autonomous Status. – How the Religious Freedom has developed in the National Orthodox Church of Finland in 1923–2023.

12.30 – 2.00 p.m. Lunch break

2.00 – 3.00 p.m. Panel Discussion

Chair and Moderator: Professor Pamela Slotte.

On 22-23 September, the European Consortium for Church and State Research will hold its conference, which will continue with the theme Freedom of Speech and Religion, which is currently being widely debated in the EU Member States.