THEOLOGIES AND THEOLOGIANS OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM
Keywords:
Anthony de Mello, Dominus Iesus, Jacques Dupuis, John Hick, Joseph Ratzinger, Paul Knitter, Raimon Panikkar, Tissa BalasuriyaAbstract
Theologies to apprehend the phenomenon of religious pluralism continue to be evolving, with Asian theologians playing significant roles. Within the Catholic Church this was viewed as problematic in the 1990s, culminating with the Vatican promulgating the declaration Dominus Iesus. It alleges that relativistic theories have been advanced in the context of the praxis of interreligious dialogue. To counter them, Dominus Iesus reaffirms the doctrines of the uniqueness and universality of Jesus Christ and the Church. The present article looks at this, offering a view of the theologies of those accused of promoting relativism, as well as those who were sanctioned by the Roman Curia, most of whom were from Asia or associated with the continent. The article is premised on the thesis that Asian theologians are best positioned to be at the forefront of evolving the theologies of religious pluralism and the investigations into their works can be seen as validation of the thesis.
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