CAMDEN – Organizers of the 2008 Camden Conference have just received word that national cable TV network C-SPAN will cover the Saturday, Feb. 23, sessions and record them for later broadcast.

“This is great news for all of us because it gives us an opportunity to exponentially expand our mission of encouraging rational discourse on complex issues,” said board President Bland Banwell. “It will give the Camden Conference, and the midcoast region, a place on the world stage.”

The conference topic, “Religion as a Force in World Affairs,” will be explored Feb. 22-24. It will be broadcast live by a high-speed Internet connection from the Camden Opera House to off-site venues. Those sites are the Strand Theatre in Rockland, the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast, and in cooperation with the World Affairs Council of Maine, the Hannaford Auditorium at the University of Southern Maine.

The Rev. J. Bryan Hehir of the Kennedy School at Harvard University will deliver the keynote speech, “Religion, World Politics, and United States Foreign Policy,” 8 p.m. Friday at the opera house.

Saturday morning’s talks will focus on religion and U.S. foreign policy beginning at 8:15 a.m. at the opera house with a welcome and introduction by program committee chair Jim Matlack and moderator Graham Phaup.

Talks will begin at 8:30 a.m. with “A Look Back at Religious Influences on American Foreign Relations,” by Andrew Preston, Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge University, England.

At 9:30 a.m., Scott Appleby, professor of history and director of the Kroc Center, Notre Dame University, will speak on “The Role of Fundamentalists in Recent U.S. Foreign Policy.”

At 11 a.m., Georgetown University professor Andrew Natsios will speak on “The Influence of Religion in American Diplomacy and Development Policies.”

Saturday afternoon will be devoted to religion and the Middle East. At 1:45 p.m., Philip C. Wilcox Jr., president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, will discuss “Religious Identities in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.”

At 2:40 p.m., Rend al-Rahim Francke, president of the Iraq Foundation, will talk about “The Clash Between Sunni and Shia Muslims Across the Middle East.”

At 4 p.m., Ellen Laipson, president of the Henry L. Stimson Center, will discuss “The Struggle Between Modern Governance and Resurgent Islam.”

The Sunday sessions will concern global religious issues. Georgetown University professor Katherine Marshall will speak at 8:30 a.m. on “Religious and Ethical Challenges in Seeking Global Social Justice.”

At 9:30 a.m., Douglas M. Johnston, president of the International Institute for Religion and Diplomacy, will speak on “Faith-Based Diplomacy: Bridging the Religious Divide.”

A closing panel of all speakers is scheduled for 11 a.m., and the conference adjourns at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets for off-site venues in Belfast, Rockland and Portland are still available. For information, go to www.camdenconference.org or call 236-1034.

gchappell@bangordailynews.net

236-4598