Yes to a global ethic

Hans Kueng's book Global Responsiblity, with its plea for a consensus on basic ethical values among those of all religions and no religion, has not only been widely influential, but also led to a Declaration Toward a GLobal Ethic which was endorsed by the Parliament of the World's Religions held in Chicago in 1993. The present book takes the process a stage further. In it a remarable group of international figures, including heasds of states and world organizations, religious leaders, scholars and writers, make their own contribution towards the vision of a global ethic. The distinguished list of more than thirty names includes Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Archbishop George Carey, Crown Prince Hassan of Jordan, former Mayor Teddy Kollek, Yehudi Menuhm, Presidetn Mary Robinson, former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the Red Cross, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Elie Wiesel. Contributors were invited because their commitment to a global ethic was already evident. Together, they bear impressive witness that in many religions and cultures a greater awareness of the need for such an ethic is steadily growing. Reading what they have written, from longer articles to brief stateents and prayers, is a moving experience and one which offers great hope for the future. Hans Kueng is Professor of Ecumenical Theology emeritus and former Director of the Institute for Ecumenical Research in the University of Tuebingen, Germany.