Healing a wounded imagination: fear, identity and religion in Central Europe

We see today in European societies an identity crisis, which also affects Christianity in multiple ways. The upsurge of populist and nationalist parties posits a challenge for Christians, especially concerning the question of identity. One of the common traits among European populist is the instrumentalization of Christianity, by the adaptation of religious narratives and selective appropriation of values for populist discourse. In this project we will analyse populism as a discourse and as a political style focusing on the Central European context. To approach the challenge to reclaim and renew Christian identity, we will explore the possibilities of a new expression for it, by focusing on three authors: Pope Francis, Czech theologian and philosopher, Tomas Halík and Hungarian Jesuit, Péter Mustó. What brings together these authors is their approach to the aforementioned crisis and their emphasis on hope expressed through their distinctive style, which can offer a new, critical counter-discourse in the current context of Central Europe.