In Memoriam: Professor Karol Karski
An outstanding Lutheran theologian and ecumenist has passed away.
Professor Karol Hubert Karski, an important Lutheran theologian, lecturer, and active ecumenist, passed away in Warsaw at the age of 84.
The funeral service was held on Monday, April 14, 2025, at Holy Trinity Church in Warsaw, followed by burial at the Evangelical Cemetery.
Professor Karol Karski was born on November 3, 1940, in Katowice. He graduated from the Faculty of Theology of the Christian Academy of Theology in Warsaw (ChAT). After completing his studies, he worked for three years as a freelance journalist and later served as editorial secretary for the quarterly Posłannictwo. From 1970 to 1982, he was affiliated with the Polish Ecumenical Council, where he served as deputy head of the Department of Press, Studies, and International Relations. In 1972, he began his studies at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey near Geneva. In 1978, he received his doctorate in theology from the Christian Academy of Theology. In 1977, he became secretary of the Subcommission for Dialogue of the Polish Ecumenical Council and the Commission for Ecumenism of the Polish Bishops’ Conference. In 1983, he became deputy editor-in-chief of the biannual journal Studia i Dokumenty Ekumeniczne. He also lectured for many years on ecumenism and Protestant theology at the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw. Since 1988, he had been a member of Societas Oecumenica, an international organization of ecumenical institutes and researchers.
In 1991, Professor Karski began his academic career at the Christian Academy of Theology in Warsaw. In 1992, he obtained his habilitation in ecumenical theology at the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Lublin. In 1993, he was appointed associate professor and head of the Department of Ecumenism at ChAT. From 1996 to 2002, he served as the university’s vice-rector, and in 2002 he was awarded the title of Professor of Theological Sciences. From 2011 to 2012, he also headed the doctoral program at ChAT.
From 2007 to 2011, he was a member of the Committee on Theological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences. One of the most active ecumenists in Poland, Professor Karski also served as president of the board of the Ecumenical Foundation “Tolerancja.” Until 2019, he was the editor-in-chief of Studia i Dokumenty Ekumeniczne, after which he chaired the journal’s Scientific Council.
His academic output includes over 700 scholarly and popular articles and six books. For his contributions to ecumenism and theology, Professor Karski received numerous honors, including the Saint Brother Albert Award for Ecumenism, the “Heart for Hearts” medal, and the “Meritorious for Tolerance” Medal (2003). In 2010, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, a special jubilee celebration was held at ChAT, where a volume honoring his scholarly work—Ecumenism and Evangelicalism. Studies Offered to Professor Karol Karski on His 70th Birthday—was presented. In 2014, the Senate of ChAT awarded him the Medal for Services to the Christian Academy of Theology in Warsaw. In 2023, the Polish Ecumenical Council granted him the “For Christian Unity” Award. The laudation read:
“For over fifty years of intensive professional and social engagement, Professor Karol Karski proved to be a man deeply committed to building Christian rapprochement across denominational divides, free from confessional prejudice, and a generous supporter of ecumenical initiatives from various church circles—especially appreciating the role of youth and women. A man of his word, reliable, tirelessly hard-working, and dutiful. A remarkable example of Silesian integrity and responsibility!”
The death of Professor Karol Karski is a profound loss for Polish theology and ecumenism. His passion, commitment, and bridge-building work across denominations will remain etched in the memory of many whose lives and work were inspired by his legacy.