Laurent Cleenewerck (legally Cleenewerck de Kiev) is an academic and theologian, serving as the Oversight Council Chairman of EUCLID (Euclid University). He is also a professor of international administration, public health and theology for EUCLID (Euclid University), and on the faculty of the Ukrainian Catholic University. He previously taught at Humboldt State University and was the rector of the Eureka Orthodox Church from 2007 to 2024.

Upbringing and education

Cleenewerck was born in 1969 in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

, France to a Flemish family, and spent part of his childhood in Connecticut. After completing his high school

baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

in 1986, he earned bachelors degrees in Computer Science, International Affairs, Finance and Business Administration. He holds a

Licentiate in Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology (; abbreviated LTh or STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred ...

from the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris and a Master's in Ecumenical Studies from the

Ukrainian Catholic University The Ukrainian Catholic University () is a Catholicism, Catholic university in Lviv, Ukraine, affiliated with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) was the first :Catholic universities and colleges, Catholic ...

. He also pursued further studies at

St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary () is an Eastern Orthodoxy, Orthodox Christian seminary located in South Canaan Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. It is one of three seminaries operated by the Orthodox Church in America, the other ...

in Pennsylvania from 2002 to 2004, and he obtained a Doctorate of Science in the Study of Religion from the Universidad Rural de Guatemala St. Gregory Nazianzen Institute for Eastern Christian Studies. He also received a Ph.D. in public health from the Central University of Nicaragua in 2022.

Professional life

Cleenewerck currently teaches theology, international administration and global health for EUCLID (Euclid University), as well as Ecumenical Methods for the

. He also occasionally serves as extension faculty for the

Humboldt State University California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt or Humboldt) is a public university in Arcata, California. It is one of Cal Poly (disambiguation), three polytechnic universities in the California State University (CSU) sys ...

. He is the rector of St. Innocent's Orthodox parish in Eureka and engaged in public lecturing, ministry, as well as writing and research. Prior to 2004, he worked as a manager in Paris and California. He is a member of the Orthodox Theological Society of America.

Ecclesiastical life

He is a

presbyter Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros'', which means elder or senior, although many in Christian antiquity understood ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning as overseer ...

of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

, ordained in the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOC of USA) is an Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox body of the Ukrainian diaspora under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the United States. It consists of two eparchies (dioces ...

, received in the

Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church based in North America. The OCA consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries and institutions in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In ...

in 2007. He was the rector of St Innocent Orthodox Church in Eureka, CA and held the rank of

archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogo ...

in the Orthodox Church in America. In 2024 he changed his jurisdiction and was accepted into the Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe.

Theological work

Cleenewerck's main ideas are presented in his study of the historical and theological causes of the current separation between

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and

Eastern Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

. He is an advocate of Eucharistic ecclesiology, which he articulates as Holographic anesthesiology. He is a proponent of non-partisan ecumenical dialogue with the ideal of a return to the basics of pre-Nicene orthodoxy. Cleenewerck is an editor of the EOB ( Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible) of which the New Testament volume was published in 2010. He is also engaged in public debates.

Interfaith Award

Cleenewerck authored an academic paper on Christian - Muslim dialogue as part of the 2016 UN World Interfaith Harmony Week organized by EUCLID, which won the first prize award as an organization. In April 2016, he received an award from

King Abdullah II of Jordan Abdullah II (Abdullah bin Hussein; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally reg ...

and delivered a speech at the award ceremony of the World Interfaith Harmony Week held in Amman, Jordan.

Musical contributions

Under the name Laurent de Kiev, he has released a number of classic French poems adapted to music under the title "De

Verlaine Verlaine (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Verlaine had a total population of 3,507. The total area is 24.21 km2 which gives a population density Population density (in ag ...

a Rimbaud" (2023) and "de Musset à Sardou" (2021).

Bibliography

Books

* "Japan on the Edge: An inquiry into the Japanese Government's Struggle for Superpower Status and UN Security Council Membership at the Edge of Decline" (co-authored with Roberto M Rodriguez), (EUC Press), 2009 - * "His Broken Body: Understanding and healing the schism between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches" (EUC Press), 2008 -
EOB: The Eastern Orthodox New Testament
(Editor), * "Binding and Non-Binding Instruments in Intergovernmental Relations: A diplomat's guide to understand the concepts of treaty and memorandum of understanding in theory and practice" (General Editor, Euclid University Press, 2015) * "Aiparthenos , Ever-Virgin? Understanding the Orthodox Catholic Doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the Identity of James and the Brothers and Sisters of the Lord", (Euclid University Press), 2015

Academic Articles

* "Maximal care considerations when treating end-stage heart failure patients: Ethical and procedural quandaries in management of the very sick" (with Ernst Schwarz et al.), Journal of Religion and Health, 2010 * "The recovery of Eucharistic and Holographic Ecclesiology as a promising avenue of ecumenical dialogue and broader mutual recognition" (with Ernst Schwarz et al.), Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 2010 * Malaria Prevention Measures among Pregnant Women: A Population-Based Survey in Nnewi, Nigeria. Scientific World Journal (2019), with co-authors * "The Effect of Spirituality and Religion on Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure" (with Jesse J. Naghi, Kiran J. Philip, and Ernst Schwarz), Journal of Religion and Health, 2010 * "Philosophical implications of the systemic and patient-oriented management of chronic heart failure" (with Ernst Schwarz, Anita Phan, Russell Hobbs), Journal of Religion and Health, 2010 * "Financial cybercrime in the Islamic finance metaverse" with K Katterbauer, H Syed, L Cleenewerck - Journal of Metaverse, 2022 * "The impact of the legalization of Bitcoin in the Central African Republic: A legal analysis" with K Katterbauer, H Syed, L Cleenewerck - Cuadernos de Economía, 2022 * "Vaccine hesitancy in the post-COVID-19 Era: an interdisciplinary approach for a trust-and-risk paradigm with governmental and intergovernmental implications" L Cleenewerck de Kiev, DA Schieffler - 2022 - digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleenewerck, Laurent 1969 births 21st-century theologians University of Montpellier alumni French emigrants to the United States California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt faculty American Christian theologians French Christian theologians Living people Eastern Orthodox theologians