From the 1920s on, Karl Barth's thought was received with great interest not only by Protestants but also by Catholic theologians, who analyzed it in detail. This study outlines how and why this happened, especially in the period leading up to Vatican II. Dahlke shows how the preoccupation with Barth's 'Epistle to the Romans' and the Church Dogmatics' triggered a theological renewal among Catholic theologians. In addition to Hans Urs von Balthasar's critical appropriation of Barth's thought the the controversy about the issue of analogia entis with Erich Przywara is also dealt with.