On May 29, 2015, Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, led a delegation to visit Peking University (PKU). They were received at the Lee Shau Kee Humanities’ Academy by Dr. Li Yansong, Vice President of PKU, and leaders and professors from the Department of Philosophy and the Office of International Relations.
The delegation had a meeting with PKU staff after a campus tour. During the meeting, Vice President Li first extended a warm welcome to all the delegation members. He mentioned PKU has already established various cooperative agreements with many British universities and institutions and that many delegations from the UK visit PKU every year. PKU was honored to have the Archbishop here today and the large crowd of people at the lecture hall eager to hear the archbishop’s speech demonstrated how popular he was among the students. Justin Welby was glad to hear that his Alma Mater, Durham University, was on PKU’s partners. Then he expressed that it was a huge privilege for him to visit PKU, and he said the beautiful campus left a great impression on him. Then he told a story of a child who studied theology in university and concluded that a university should encourage students to face difficulties with open minds. He also explained that the Bible Society, in which some of his colleagues are participants, is a global organization that has made a significant contribution to the UK as well as the entire world. After the pleasant chat, both sides exchanged gifts and took a group photo.
After the brief meeting, Archbishop Welby delivered a speech on Christianity and business ethics to the participants at the lecture hall 108 in building 1 of the Academy. He reviewed the history of business ethics and then elaborated on three aspects. The first question he addressed was “Can companies sin”, and he explained collective guilt. He then talked about the development of the concept of business ethics and expressed his disbelief in consequentialism. Finally, he presented his opinions on what Christianity has to say today. After the speech, Prof. Zhuo Xinping, Head of Chinese Religious Society of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, gave a brief comment before the audience raised questions.
It was the 30th lecture of the “Xu-yun Forum” held by the Academy of Religious Studies, Department of Philosophy. Since the establishment of the Academy in November 2009, the Forum has invited many prestigious scholars in religious studies to deliver speeches in order to promote dialogue, understanding, and tolerance among different religions.
Written by: Liu Meina and Zhong Xue
