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Vatican to launch first conference of Christians and Confucians

July 28, 2026 · 1 min read

The Vatican will launch its first conference of Christians and Confucians to expand the Catholic Church’s outreach to the Asian ethical tradition.

The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue will hold the colloquium “Dialogue on the Contribution of Christianity and Confucianism to an Ideal Society: New Heaven, New Earth, and Great Unity” in South Korea from Aug. 4–5. As reported by Union of Catholic Asian News , it will convene clergy and scholars at Sogang University in Seoul to discuss universal fraternity, virtuous leadership, and ecological responsibility.

Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, is expected to attend along with other dicastery officials.

The event is also organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea.

The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue has participated in similar conferences, including the 2025 workshop “Christians Fostering Dialogue with Confucians: Guidelines and Prospects” in Taiwan and the 2024 study group that developed guidelines for Confucian-Catholic dialogue.

Confucianism developed from the ethical teachings of the Chinese philosopher Kong Qiu, known in the West as Confucius. He…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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Michael WeberInteresting that this is taking place in Seoul and not China. The themes of virtuous leadership and ecological responsibility sound quite reasonable at first, but I'm wondering how to really bring "New Heaven, New Earth" and "Great Unity" together without everything being watered down at the end of a page.

Богдан ПанченкоIt is interesting that the conference is held in Seoul, at Sogang University, and not in China. The theme of virtuous leadership and environmental responsibility sounds practical, but how they will combine "New Heaven, New Earth" with "Great Unity" is already a question. I look forward to what will come of it.