Multilingualism and transcending nationality according to Father Sophrony

This article examines the conception of multilingualism and the transcendence of national identities in the thought of Father Sophrony Sakharov, disciple of Saint Silouan the Athonite and founder of the Orthodox Monastery of Saint John the Baptist in Essex. The study draws on the writings and teachings of this twentieth-century Russian theologian and spiritual father to analyze his ecclesiological and anthropological vision. The central idea is that Christ, as universal creator God and savior, cannot be reduced to a particular national or cultural identity: any limitation of this nature leads, according to Sophrony, to hatred between peoples and social divisions. The article thus highlights the theological contribution of Father Sophrony on the question of Christian universality in the face of national particularisms, particularly in the liturgical domain where he denounces what he calls "the pride of languages."