Rome, Italy, Jun 11, 2011 / 16:26 pm
Christian monks once saved the cultural treasures of the western world from barbarian invasions, and now a major four-day conference in Rome is examining how modern culture affects monasticism.
“We’ve invited scholars from around the world to share around the theme of monasticism and culture – the effects of monasticism of culture and the effect of culture on monastic life,” Father Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B., told CNA June 10.
The conference at the Sant’ Anselmo Benedictine University in Rome is titled “Monasticism between Culture and Cultures” and runs from June 8 to 11.
The word “monasticism” actually comes from the Greek word for ‘dwelling alone’ and has come to denote the mode of life in seclusion from the world, under religious vows and subject to a fixed rule. It emerged in the deserts of northern Africa in the earliest centuries of Christianity.