Hans Urs von Balthasar as a “Free” Theologian

Knowing the theological atmosphere of the mid 20th century in Europe was essential for perception of Hans Urs von Balthasar's theology. This epoch can be called ''back to the roots'', because the attention was paid to ecclesiology (doctrine of the Church), it was the time of the patristic, historical, liturgical studies, and the liturgical theology itself, aimed at the-evaluation of the place of worship in the church life. The thought of H. U. von Balthasar belongs to the ''new theology'' movement, which emerged in the post-war Europe and survived many ordeals. The unity of man, God and another person can be noticed. Such theology emphasizes the openness of man to God, and on the basis of this openness we can see the freedom of grace. Ideas of H. U. von Balthasar have been rediscovered lately and his aesthetic approach to it is of a big interest to the researches. He tackled quite controversial issues, so it is really interesting. Here his theological project will be presented in a short and precise way in the talk of American bishop fr. Robert Emmet Barron along with the interview of dr Karen Kilby will be of great help to us here.