Two Scholars Reflect on Rahner's Contribution to the Theology of Bishops in the Church

Andreas Batlogg, S.J., and Mary E. Hines presented "Rahnerian Resources for the Renewal of Episcopal Ministry" to a Continuing Group of scholars dedicated to Rahner's theology on Saturday, June 9, 2007, at the annual convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America.   The two presenters showed how the theological work of Rahner still offers the Church a resource for renewal.

Andreas Batlogg is an associate editor for Stimmen der Zeit.  Since 2005 he is one of five co-editors of Karl Rahner's Sämtliche Werke (together with Cardinal Lehmann, J. B. Metz, A. Raffelt and H. Vorgrimler) and is now vice chairman of the board of trustees of the Karl-Rahner-Foundation München.  Batlogg's remarks focused on Rahner's relationships to the bishops of his day, relationships that formed the context of his understanding of the episcopacy.

Mary E. Hines is Professor of Theology at Emmanuel College.  A prolific scholar, she is also co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to Karl Rahner.  In her presentation, Hines commented on Rahner's writings about the topic of bishops in the Church.

The Continuing Group was moderated by James Voiss, SJ (St. Louis University), who is a member of the Steering Committee of the Karl Rahner Society.  The presentation took place from 2:30 to 4:15 PM. at the Sheraton Downtown Hotel in Los Angeles (711 S. Hope Street).

In addition, the CTSA hosted a "Rahner Breakfast" on Saturday, June 9, from 7:15 to 8:45 AM.  This year's breakfast focused on the topic of "The Karl Rahner Society and Its Purpose" and featured reminiscences about Rahner by Melvin Michalski (St. Francis Seminary) and a brief résumé of the work of the KRS by Robert Masson (Marquette University).

For a list of past Rahner papers, published in the journal Philosophy and Theology, click here.