Manifesto

"Hans Küng is a theologian who is one of the world’s leading theological scholars and someone who I greatly admire. Once again, it really is about the core idea that we are living in a global society. We are not just a collection of individual nations or still less individual communities but we are a truly interconnected global society. What Küng has done, with a lot of colleagues and building on a lifetime of work where he has studied all the major religions, is to put forward the proposition that during the last 20 years at the core of all these great religions, despite their frequent conflicts, there is actually a common set of values which can be the basis for a true global ethic. And, of course, I admire the tremendous learning that goes into this because it is not merely a high sentiment, it is actually based on a lifetime of thought and study. But it also comes to a very practical point, which is that in this interconnected world we need a shared set of values and we are often deeply misled into believing that we face a fundamental clash that is irreparable and that we have irreconcilable differences, when in fact what Küng is saying is no, that is not the case. Even when it comes to the religious traditions, which seem to sometimes tear us apart, we can find a common base and in very practical areas, especially in our economic lives, in what we regard as fair and as basic needs and so forth. So I admire this effort very much and I believe that his text can provide a practical platform for business."