SOURCE: “The Promise of a Global Ethic,” in Christian Century, Vol. 111, No. 17, May 18-25, 1994, pp. 530-33.

In the following review, George briefly outlines A Global Ethic, developed by the Parliament of the World's Religions and edited by Küng and Karl-Josef Kuschel, and briefly compares it to John Paul II's encyclical on Roman Catholic moral theology, Veritatis Splendor.

“Come together in unity. Speak in profound agreements. May your minds converge (in deep consensus). May your deliberations be uniform and united in your hearts. May you be firmly bound and united in your intentions and resolves.” In this way a Hindu sacred text (Rig Veda X-191, 2-4) encourages and blesses its hearers. Despite its complexity, politics and even pratfalls, one could argue that the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago last summer was vivid testament that exhortations believed to be divinely inspired sometimes find their mark.

The full...