Program:

The life, work and martyrdom of Michael Servetus together comprise one of the foundation stones of the modern Unitarian tradition. They also represent a crucial stage in the struggle for religious liberty and human rights that originated in the turbulent years of the Protestant Reformation. The 450th anniversary of Servetus' death by fire in Calvin's Geneva falls this October 27th.

The International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) is commemorating this anniversary with a weekend event in Geneva, to be held 23rd-27th October, 2003 at the John Knox International Reformed Centre. The weekend will include papers, worship and drama and will conclude with a commemorative ceremony on the site of Servetus' death.

The Rev. Dr. Elek Rezi is Deputy Bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church and Dean of the Unitarian Theological Faculty in Koloszvar. He will speak on the influence of Servetus on Francis David and the beginnings of the Transylvanian / Hungarian Unitarian tradition.

The Rev. Andrew Hill is minister of St. Mark's Unitarian Church in Edinburgh, Scotland, and a leading British Unitarian historian. He will advance the provocative thesis that the Unitarian tradition actually owes more to John Calvin than it does to Servetus.

The Rev. Dr. Peter Hughes is vice-president of the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society, and chief editor of the on-line Dictionary of Unitarian Universalist Biography. With his wife, Lynn, he is currently planning a fiftieth anniversary reprint of Roland H. Bainton's definitive 1953 biography, "Hunted Heretic: the Life and Death of Servetus." Although specialising in Universalist history, he has a fondness for Servetus studies and will speak on the sacrificial significance of Servetus' death.

The principal worship service will be held on Sunday morning and there will then be an opportunity to take a tour of Geneva. A dramatic presentation on Servetus is planned for Sunday evening. On Monday morning, as representatives of the global Unitarian / Universalist community, participants will gather for an act of remembrance at the place where Servetus suffered his martyr's death.

This is the opportunity for the current generation of Unitarian / Universalists to pay tribute to one of our most illustrious forbears and to evaluate his significance 450 years on.

Cost of accommodation per person, including conference fee and all meals:
Double room: Sfr. 425 - UK £215 - US $300
Single room: Sfr. 520 - UK £260 - US $365
There is an early bird discount of Sfr. 40, UK £20 or US$30 for bookings received by 16th April.

For further information, please contact:
Ivanka Fiserova - ICUU Administrative Office
Karlova 8
110 00 Prague / Praha 1
Czech Republic
Tel: (+420) 222 222 105;
Fax: (+420) 222 222Â 197
Email: icuu@iol.cz