The Vatican is organizing its first conference between Christians and Confucians to broaden the reach of the Catholic Church to the Asian ethical tradition.The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue will hold the colloquium in South Korea from August 4 to 5. Titled “Dialogue on the contribution of Christianity and Confucianism to an ideal society: a new heaven, a new earth and great unity,” the event will take place at Sogang University in Seoul.
According to the Union of Catholic Asian News, clergy and academics will gather to discuss universal fraternity, virtuous leadership, and ecological responsibility.Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, is expected to attend along with other officials from the dicastery. The event is also being organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea.
The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue has participated in similar meetings before. These include the 2025 workshop Christians Fostering Dialogue with Confucians: Guidelines and Perspectives in Taiwan and the 2024 study group that developed guidelines for Confucian-Catholic dialogue.Confucianism developed from the ethical teachings of the Chinese philosopher Kong Qiu, known in the West as Confucius. He emphasized filial piety, ancestor veneration, moral self-improvement, and harmonious social relationships, rather than devotion to a creator god.
According to 2025 estimates from the World Database of Religions, approximately 8.75 million Confucians live worldwide. The largest populations are in South Korea with 5,616,520; China with 1,737,191; Myanmar with 813,322; Thailand with 261,330; and Japan with 162,179.
At the 2025 workshop, Fr. Paulin Batairwa Kubuya, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, explained that certain Confucian teachings are compatible with Christianity.“Christianity and Confucianism are both wisdom traditions,” Kubuya stated. “Confucian ethics focuses on how people should behave, how to be good citizens, and how to organize their lives. We found that these aspects resonate with Christianity,” he added.Father Kubuya also expressed hope that the future of Confucian-Christian dialogue will help Christians “observe our Confucian neighbors, to look for ways to develop better coexistence and to enrich each other.”