. need to be seen not so much as historical events that took place in a particular time and place, but rather as deeply engraved mind structures and personal attitudes as we confront many of the modern time issues such as mass poverty and its relationship to the churches, interreligious and ecumenical dialogue, relationship with Islam, Catholic education in public institutions, moral and ethical problems regarding the treatment of embryos for eugenic purposes, issues concerning the end of life, social debate on alternative lifestyles and the role of women in ecclesial institutions, to mention but a few. Antton Egiguren Iraola, OFM, was born in the Basque country in Spain. After finishing his studies for the priesthood he worked as a missionary for twenty years in Korea and Thailand. In 1999 he obtained a Master's degree in Mission and Interreligious Studies at St Paul University in Ottawa, Canada. In 2001 he was awarded a Licentiate in Christian Ethics at the same university. In 2002 he received a Licentiate in Pastoral Theology at the Catholic University of Leuven. On 5 July 2005 he was awarded a PhD in theology at the Catholic University of Leuven. He is currently an associate professor at the Catholic University of Leuven in the department of Interdisciplinary Religious Studies. He is also director of the Ferdinand Verbiest Institute at the same university, which researches the history of the Catholic Church in China.