Symposium on inter–religious dialogue held in Mangalore

Mangalore – A two–day international symposium stressing on the urgent need of inter–religious dialogue was held at Saint Joseph’s Inter Diocesan Seminary in Mangalore.

The symposium, titled, “Karl Rahner, A Theologian Of Dialogue” was held on February 14–15, 2005.

Bishop Aloysius D’Souza of Mangalore, presiding over the inauguration, paid rich tributes to Rahner by saying that the theologian’s thoughts had contributed immensely to a new awakening within the Catholic Church in days of inequality, exploitation and misunderstanding.

The symposium was organised by the Mangalore Diocesan Chair in Christianity in the Mangalore University to mark the birth centenary of Rahner at the St. Joseph’s Seminary.

Bishop Thomas Dabre of Vasai, Prof. Elmar Klinger of Wuerzburg University, Germany, Rev. C. L. Furtado, retired bishop of Karnataka Southern Diocese, Church of South India, were amongst those who spoke on the occasion.

‘Ecumenical Dialogue’ and ‘Dialogue With Other World Views’ were the other two topics of the symposium.

Professor and head of the Chair in Christianity, Dr. John Fernandes, read a paper prepared by Jesuit Fr. Joseph Neuner, a close companion of Karl Rahner.

The Chair in Christianity, apart from conducting seminars and talks on Christian themes, has been arranging discussions, workshops and symposia to promote understanding between various religions.