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 preoccupation with Barth's Epistle to the Romans and Church Dogmatics triggered a theological renewal among Catholic theologians. In addition to Hans Urs von Balthasar’s critical appropriation of Barth’s thought, the controversy surrounding the issue of analogia entis with Erich Przywara is also dealt with.