In our times hope is called into question. The disintegration of economic systems, of states and societies, families, friendships, distrust in political structures, forces us to ask if hope has disappeared from the experience of today's men and women. In August 2019, up to 240 participants met at the international theological congress in Bratislava, Slovakia. The main lectures, congress sections and workshops aimed to provide a space for thinking about the central theme of hope in relation to philosophy, politics, pedagogy, social work, charity, interreligious dialogue and ecumenism.
The European Society for Catholic Theology (ESCT) founded in 1989, promotes the academic discipline of Catholic theology primarily at the intersection where Church and society meet. The Society supports its members in engaging with many questions which challenge Christian faith as well as contemporary European culture.