14 - 19 October 2018
Split, Croatia

The 53rd AMI Conference and General Assembly was held in Split, Croatia, hosted by Archbishop Jure Bogdan and the staff of the Military Ordinariate of Croatia. Sixty participants from 15 nations across four continents attended.

The conference focused on the theme of reconciliation, examined within the framework of the AMI Vision Paper 2018–2021: Expanding Circles. Reconciliation was considered across five levels of military life: personal, family and friends, unit and chaplaincy, national, and multinational. Discussions highlighted the influence of reconciliation on military culture, commemoration, and the religious dimension of reconciling with God.

Examples included cadets adjusting from seminary to military life, tools for reintegrating soldiers with their families, chaplains’ experiences of fostering reconciliation within units, Croatian military leaders’ efforts to reconcile with neighboring nations, and reflections on God’s grace guiding reconciliation at every stage.