Conference: Divine Mercy in Theological Reflection and Practice

To mark 25 years since the canonization of Sister Faustina Kowalska by Pope John Paul II, we invite you to a conference exploring the theological meaning of Divine Mercy and discussing the Works of Mercy in the Church today.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE (April 30th, 2025)
Welcoming and Introduction - Fr. Cezary Binkiewicz OP - Director of the St. John Paul II Institute of Culture
3:28 Fr Thomas Joseph White - Rector of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum
10:40 Dariusz Karłowicz - Program Director of the St. John Paul II Institute of Culture
SESSION I The Message of Divine Mercy and the XX Century
16:02 Fr. Prof. Michał Paluch, OP, “A fresh manifestation of the eternal fatherhood of God.” Faustyna Kowalska, John Paul II, and the rediscovery of the theology of mercy.
01:07:25 Izabela Rutkowska, PhD, The Ocean of Divine Mercy: St. Faustina Kowalska’s life, mission, and influence on contemporaneity
01:53:25 Q&A with audience

SESSION II Divine Mercy in Action – Works of Mercy in the Catholic Church Today
2:29:31 Introduction - Dariusz Karłowicz
2:31:27 Alistair Dutton, Caritas Internationalis mission and work today.
2:51:53 Massimiliano Signifredi, PhD, Mercy without borders. The Community of Sant’Egidio
3:15:14 S. Michaela Rak, With Works of Mercy to Heaven

Session I is devoted to the theological understanding of Divine Mercy and to the extraordinary story and legacy of St. Faustina Kowalska in a historical context. Fr. Michał Paluch, O.P., Master of Sacred Theology and former Rector of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, will lead us through the complexities of the understanding of Divine Mercy in John Paul II’s Dives in Misericordia encyclical and later popes’ writings, including Pope Francis’s teaching. Izabela Rutkowska, PhD, an author of several publications on the history and meaning of the devotion to Divine Mercy will present the still undiscovered details of the story of St. Faustina and show the universality and widespread of the devotion this simple sister began in early twetieth century Poland.

In session II we discuss works of Mercy carried out in and by the Church and how they are inspired and come from the Divine Mercy message. We have invited Alistair Dutton, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis, Massimiliano Signifredi, senior member of the Sant’Egidio Community, and Sr. Michaela Rak from the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus who is the director of the Hospice of Blessed Father Michał Sopoćko in Vilnius. In a discussion with our audience we wish to touch upon the question of the places in today’s society that are in special need of our works of Mercy.

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Conference was organized by St. John Paul II Institute of Culture. The Institute operates within the Faculty of Philosophy at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – the Angelicum – in Rome. Its mission is to reflect on the key problems facing the Church and the world today, in the light of the life and thought of St. John Paul II. Institute's projects are organized in cooperation with Saint Nicholas Foundation (Fundacja Świętego Mikołaja / Teologia Polityczna) in Poland.