Hans Kung might not be a household name but in the world of theology he has achieved superstar status.The influential Christian thinker will bring his controversial brand of philosophy to Ottawa tonight, when he delivers a speech at Dominion-Chalmers United Church on Cooper St. at 7:30 p.m.
"There's been enormous interest in Hans Kung," said Michael O'Hearn, director of Novalis Press, which publishes Kung's works.
"He's a provocative theologian, a brilliant theologian."
The revered Swiss Roman Catholic priest, who will celebrate his 79th birthday next week, first stirred up controversy with the publication of Infallible? An Inquiry in 1971.
The book called into question the absolute authority of the papacy, earning Kung the wrath of the Vatican.
Although Kung was not stripped of his priesthood, Pope John Paul II rescinded his right to teach theology as a representative of the Church in 1979, setting off an international firestorm.
An agreement was reached whereby Kung was allowed to continue as a professor of theology at Tubingen University in Germany, but the rift sparked a long-standing feud between Kung and Pope John Paul II.
Since then, Kung has remained a vocal critic of Catholicism, with his liberal views on birth control, celibacy among priests and the role of women in the Church.
He became president of the Global Ethic Foundation in 1995, after publishing a dissertation on the need for co-operation instead of competition between religions.
In 2001, mere weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Kung was invited to speak at the United Nations, where he delivered a reflection called "A Global Ethic in the Face of Global Threat."
"His mantra is 'No peace in the world without peace among religions,' and I think that sums it up," said O'Hearn.
CHURCH STRUCTURES
Novalis Press and St. Paul University are sponsoring Kung's Ottawa visit, along with the German and Swiss embassies.
Kung is expected to discuss his relationship to the structures of authority within the Church, as well as the fragile state of the world's major religions.
Meanwhile, at St. Paul University's campus, a two-day symposium coinciding with Kung's visit will begin.
The symposium of the "Peter and Paul Seminar" will gather together a host of eminent scholars to continue a discussion that was initiated more than four decades ago.
In 1962, Pope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council in an effort to modernize the Catholic Church.
"One of the primary goals of the second Vatican Council was the restoration of unity between the Christian churches," said symposium organizer Catherine Clifford.
The symposium will continue through tomorrow, with notable speakers including Eugene Duffy, director of the Western Theological Institute in Galway, Ireland.
Duffy's lecture will centre around the sexual abuse scandals that continue to plague the Catholic church.
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