Explores and discusses the ideas discussed in International Congress of Roman Catholic Ethicists, July 2006, Padua. This book recognizes the need to confront the challenge of pluralism; to dialogue from and beyond local cultures; and to interconnect within a world church, not dominated solely by a northern paradigm.

Authors and Acknowledgements; James F. Keenan, S.J.; Introduction: the Conference at Padova; Part I: How Can Theological Ethicists Respond to the World's Needs?; Antonio Papisca, University of Padua (Italy); The Needs of the World and the Signs of the Times:; The Challenge of Human Rights; Adela Cortina, University of Valencia (Spain); Challenges of Economic Activity in a Global World; Henk ten Have, UNESCO, Paris (France); Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights; Part II: Moral Theology on the Five Continents; Africa; Mawuto R. Afan, O.P. Universite Catholique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (Ivory Coast); The Main "Building Sites" of Ethics in West Africa; Laurenti Magesa, Maryknoll Institute of African Studies (Tanzania); Locating the Church among the Wretched of the Earth; Sebastien Muyengo Mulombe, Bioethique aux Facultes Catholiques de Kinshasa-RD (Congo); Authenticity and Credibility: Moral Challenges After the African Synod 91; Asia; Thomas Hong-Soon Han, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Korea); Moral Challenges and the Church in Asia Today, with a Specific Consideration of Korea; Agnes M. Brazal, Maryhill School of Theology (Philippines); Globalization and Catholic Theological Ethics; A Southeast Asian Perspective; Clement Campos, St. Alphonsus College, Bangalore C.Ss.R. (India); Doing Christian Ethics in India's World of Cultural Complexity and Social Inequality; Europe; Marciano Vidal, Universidad Pontificia Comillas C.Ss.R. (Spain); Theological Ethics in Europe.

This conference and collection marks a significant event: the first truly International Crosscultural Conference of Roman Catholic Theological Ethicists. It will attract the attention of Catholic moral theologians world-wide. It should also provoke some controversy in terms of what's discussed (globalization) and what's not (e.g., abortion). Since the editors of various Catholic magazines/newspapers are planning to attend, the conference should get press coverage in America, Commonweal, NCR, and The Tablet.