The 29th ICM is delighted to announce the plenary speaker for this year’s conference. Dr Rob Meens (Universiteit Utrecht) will be giving the keynote paper, which is entitled ‘Columbanus and the Practice of Penance in Early Medieval Europe’. Given that this year is the 1400th anniversary of the death of Columbanus, this is especially appropriate.
Dr Meens is a distinguished scholar with many publications. He is particularly noted for his work on penance and the penitentials but has also published on a variety of topics related to canon law and the practice of preaching. His ground-breaking monograph, Penance in the Middle Ages, 600-1200 (Cambridge 2014), appeared recently. It is with great pleasure that we welcome him to the 29th ICM.