On May 25-26, 2026, the XXXII International Cyril and Methodius Readings "A Woman in the History of Slavic Writing and Culture" were held in Minsk. The forum was held at the Institute of Theology named after Saints Methodius and Cyril of the Belarusian State University, at the patriarchal Compound and at the Minsk Theological Academy.
The readings brought together representatives of the clergy, the scientific and cultural community, heads of educational institutions, teachers, graduate students and students. The organizers were the Belarusian Exarchate, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, the Institute of Theology of the Belarusian State University, the Institute of History and Social Sciences of the A.I. Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University, the Laboratory of Ethnoreligious Studies of the Nizhny Novgorod Institute of Management, a branch of the RANEPA, and the Minsk Theological Academy.
Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. He noted that the Cyril and Methodius Readings have served as a platform for discussing issues of theology, history, philosophy, cultural studies, religious studies, intercultural and interfaith dialogue for more than three decades.
This year, special attention was paid to the topic of women's ministry, the role of women in the history of Slavic culture, enlightenment, spiritual life and the preservation of national memory. The participants' speeches included the names of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk, St. Sophia of Slutsk and other women whose ministry had a significant impact on the development of spiritual and cultural traditions.
The forum included plenary sessions and sections devoted to topical issues of theology, biblical studies, Church history, religious studies, and philosophy. Separate reports were related to the topic of women's exploits, the history of monasticism, church service, education and the preservation of spiritual heritage.
Students from religious and secular educational institutions took an active part in the readings. The young researchers presented reports on theology, church history, interfaith dialogue, digital culture, and modern humanitarian knowledge.
During the opening ceremony, the laureates of the Metropolitan Filaret (Vakhromeev) Award for the scientific achievements of students were also awarded.
The XXXII International Cyril and Methodius Readings have become an important scientific and educational platform that brought together researchers from various fields of humanitarian knowledge and highlighted the importance of women's ministry in the history of Slavic writing, culture and spiritual tradition.