French professor at Sabauni

22-29th October 2019, within the Erasmus+ Ka107 ICM program, Sabauni hosted French professor, Br. Eli Ayroule’s mobility on the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, who delivered lectures for Theology students in the Field of Patristics. The main topic of the lectures was the life of the St. Maximus the Confessor (VI-VII s.) and the significance of his work for the Christian Churches (both Eastern and Western Churches).

French professor had meetings with the university administration: rector, vice-rector and dean of the faculty, where there were discussed the future cooperation ideas. During the meeting, the international conference about the life of Maximus the Confessor was planned, which will be held at Sabauni in the next year. Prof. Ayroulet is a researcher of Maximus the Confessor, so for him, it was very nice to speak about this idea. “Being a specialist of this author, I will be able to solicit my network of specialists in connection with the network of the dean and that of the rector. The challenge of this symposium, besides its scientific aspect, would also lie in its capacity to promote in Georgia the catholic-orthodox dialogue.

Personal project envisaged with the Dean of a cooperation for the critical edition and the commentary of a medieval manuscript discovered recently in Greece.

Project to send students of theology of Tbilisi to the Catholic University of Lyon for the Ph.D., especially to train in patristics because of the pole of excellence in this area developed in connection with the Institute of Sources Chrétiennes” shared his opinion prof. Ayroulet.

Erasmus + KA107 project provides the short-term mobility for the student and academic/administrative staff and aims to promote not only professional development of the staff, but the bringing closer the cultures and raise awareness about the EU.

What was the main impact from this mobility, prof. Ayroulet underlined the professional development (ability to teach in English) and raised awareness about Georgia.

“This type of mobility for a teacher makes it possible to prepare in advance with benefit the arrival of Erasmus + students in his university in pregnant time to get to know them and identify the issues for them of their mobility”. I would like to underline the quality of the welcome of the entire team of the Catholic University of Tbilisi not only from the academic point of view but also from the point of view of the discovery of Tbilisi and Georgia. The Tbilisi team organized with great dedication my cultural discovery of Georgia through many visits not only to Tbilisi but throughout the country. I became more aware of the importance of this country in the history of Christianity in Europe and the development of European culture on the basis of its Christian roots. I have also better realized the current challenges for this country to promote its contacts with the countries of Western Europe. I was able to meet the maximum of people with academic responsibility at Sabauni: Rector, Vice-Rector, Dean of the Faculty of Theology. This allowed me to discover that they were the major sources for the creation and the first development of a young university. I was also able to discover the issues facing a Catholic university in a social and ecclesial context different from that of France and Western Europe”.

French professor’s visit was held within Erasmus+ KA107 ICM project between Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University and Catholic University of Lyon (France), there are number of mobilities realized and plan within this project. Sabauni has been involved in Erasmus+ KA107 program since 2015-2016 academic year and each year there are mobility flows from and to Sabauni with partner universities from different countries.