Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Hans Küng

For more on this event, visit: https://bit.ly/3yc13lA For more on the Berkley Center, visit: https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu May 3, 2021 | With the death of the Swiss priest and theologian Hans Küng in April at age 93, Catholicism lost one of its most influential and controversial figures. Küng made robust contributions to the Second Vatican Council, ecclesiology, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, and the encounter of religions in the global context – expressed in the Declaration Toward a Global Ethic, a landmark document that aimed to chart and develop points of contact among different faiths. This two-part conversation invited scholars inspired by Küng’s work to reflect on his legacy. In part one, Peter Phan, Catherine Cornille, and Rev. David Hollenbach, S.J. explored Küng’s influence within Catholicism, Christian theology, and interreligious engagement. In part two, Rev. Drew Christiansen, S.J., José Casanova, Jocelyne Cesari, and Katherine Marshall examined the Declaration Toward a Global Ethic and then situated Küng’s thought within the context of ongoing intra- and inter-religious debates over global ethics. The panelists also discuss how lessons learned from Küng’s career can be applied to shared social or political challenges facing religious communities today and can help to promote priority action on issues of global concern.