Prof. Karol Hubert Karski, an important evangelical theologian, lecturer and ecumenical activist, has died in Warsaw at the age of 84.
Prof. Karol Karski was born on 3 November 1940 in Katowice. He was a graduate of the Faculty of Theology of the Christian Theological Academy (ChAT) in Warsaw. His scientific output includes over 700 scientific and popular science articles and 6 books. Prof. Karski has received numerous awards for his ecumenical and scientific activities, including the St. Brother Albert’s Award for Ecumenism, the ‘Heart for Hearts’ medal and the ‘Meritorious for Tolerance’ medal (2003) In 2023, the Polish Ecumenical Council bestowed him with the Award ‘For the unity of Christians’. The laudation at the time said: ‘For more than fifty years of intensive professional and social work, Prof. Karol Karski became known as a man with great determination to build rapprochement between Christians across denominational divides, free from confessional prejudices, kindly supporting ecumenical initiatives coming from different church circles, particularly appreciating the role of youth and women. A man of his word, reliable, tirelessly hard-working and dutiful. An outstanding example of Silesian solidity and responsibility!’
These accolades and countless others led Karski to become a household name in Polisch ecumenical circles and around Europe. He was not only instrumental in the furthering of Polish theological thought but brought European ecumenism to Poland through his translation work and dedication to the Leuenberg Agreement. Over his lifetime, he translated over a dozen CPCE texts and documents into Polish. For this work and his lifetime achievements, he was awarded an Anniversary Medallion created by the CPCE to mark 50 years since the Leuenberg Agreement.
The death of Professor Karol Karski is a great loss to Polish theology and ecumenism, as well as to CPCE. His passion, commitment and work to build interfaith bridges will remain indelibly in the memory of many whose lives and work were inspired by his achievements.