Controversial Swiss priest Hans Küng is optimistic that he and Pope Benedict XVI may have a second meeting.The first meeting between the dissident theologian and Pope Benedict XVI in September 2005 raised more than a few eyebrows in the Catholic world and beyond.
Father Küng, who now travels the world promoting his global ethic, grew in fame with a 1970 book that contested the church’s dogma on papal infallibility. Father Küng said he wrote the book out of conscience and to create discussion, not controversy.
He has since been outspoken about his support for married and women priests and contraception.
His meeting was the first between him and a pontiff since the Vatican revoked his license to teach theology at a pontifical university in 1979. During John Paul II’s 26-year pontificate, he never answered Father Küng’s letters or agreed to a meeting, the priest said.
"It was a happy surprise that [Pope Benedict] was immediately ready for this discussion, which was not just a formal audience but a conversation, and we had tea," Father Küng told The Catholic Times. "And I think that gave hope to many people that he could do something courageous."
Father Küng was in Montreal last month on a tour to promote the French translation of his memoirs. He spoke at the University of Montreal March 13 and at Centre St-Pierre March 14.
Father Küng said he wrote to Pope Benedict, requesting a meeting with him. The two are former colleagues, having both taught theology at the University of Tübingen in Germany in the 1960s. Both also attended the Second Vatican Council as “periti” or advisers on theological questions.
During their four-hour meeting, he said, the two theologians discussed religious dialogue and Father Küng’s global ethic, especially in view of the clash of civilizations, a theory that some academics are predicting. They also discussed one of Küng’s recent books, The Beginning of All Things, in which he calls for a mutual knowledge, respect and recognition between science and religion.
"The book addresses the beginning of the universe, the beginning of life, the beginning of the human being, and he was very much in favor of this dialogue," Father Küng said of his conversation with the pope.
"And he found it excellent that I am in contact with scientists of the highest level to discuss these problems," he continued. "It is a dialogue, which is most important, because many people today are, of course, formed by the sciences, and think because they are scientists they cannot at the same time be religious."
Father Küng, a longtime ecumenist, remarked that Benedict’s efforts in ecumenism and interfaith dialogue are "not yet very visible." The pope, he said, has the capability to make important inroads with Christian unity but he has to go beyond common affirmations about unity and make explicit statements about the common ethics shared by Christian denominations.
"For instance, would it be possible to have an acknowledgement of the ministries of the other churches?" he asked.
"He could, of course, call or convoke religious leaders to have an affirmation of common ethics," said Father Küng.
Father Küng said he and Pope Benedict have continued to exchange letters since their meeting 18 months ago.
"Maybe there will be another encounter," he said hopefully. "Let us see what the future brings."
Church’s ‘Loyal Critic’
The self-described Roman Catholic "loyal critic" countered the notions that religions will eventually fade away and that they are solely a source of conflict.
"Religion will always remain," Father Küng told a crowd of 400 at the University of Montreal March 13. "It’s not useful to ask if there will be humanity without music. It is the same for religion."
In fact, the Swiss priest believes religions have a major role to play in bringing about a global ethic and in creating a just and peaceful world.
The theologian and author of more than 50 books has traveled the globe to promote his vision.
He has had some success, garnering the support of some world leaders, such as former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. It was also adopted by the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1993.
But Father Küng’s reputation remains tied to his dissident views on Catholic teaching regarding contraception, papal infallibility and priestly celibacy.
While the Vatican revoked his authority to teach theology in a Catholic faculty in 1979, he retained his position as a professor of ecumenical theology at the University of Tübingen.
He has retained all of his priestly faculties and remains in good standing with his bishop in his home diocese of Lucerne.
"I am firm in my faith," he said. "At the same time, my openness to others’ faith and to dialogue is unlimited." He pursues all interreligious dialogue as a Christian theologian, he said.
"Jesus Christ is not a ...theory, but a person who is the way, the truth, and the life," he said of his personal convictions. The 79-year-old priest says he remains faithful to the church "in critical loyalty."
He affirms the papacy, but calls for "a radical reform of it" in accordance to the gospel.
When asked in an interview if he viewed himself as a reformer, Küng replied: "I see myself as a professor. I am a theologian, and I do not want to replace the church authorities. The church needs very much people who are reflecting on what we are preaching and saying."
Küng’s face lit up when he spoke about his priesthood and the joy he derives from preaching, spreading the gospel message and celebrating the Eucharist. "It’s a great thing," he told The Catholic Times.
Due to his travels, he is only able to be at his home parish, near Lucerne, in the summertime.
A priest for more than 50 years, he remains very concerned about the lack of priestly vocations, which is causing the closure of some parishes communities. Reorganizing parishes into clusters is only evading the problem, he said.
"And just to give that up because you do not accept married priests is absurd," he added, promoting his long-held view. "And next, of course, we have to think about the ordination of women. We are far behind the general society today in acknowledging the practical, equal dignity of women in the church."
Theologian Pursing Global Ethic
Father Küng, who heads the Global Ethic Foundation, developed the concept to address the lack of ethical standards that he observed in the areas of politics, economics and religion.
"Rather than the politics of power and prestige, the new paradigm rests on comprehension, rapprochement and reconciliation," he said. "I do not speak of ethics in the sense of a system … but ethic as an inner conviction of certain values, standards and attitudes," he said.
The global ethic proposes five main directives: (1) nonviolence and respect for life, (2) reciprocity and the Golden Rule, (3) solidarity and a just economic order, (4) a culture of tolerance and truth, and (5) gender equality and sexual ethics, which condemn the use of sex to manipulate, exploit or dominate.
Father Küng sees religion as the driving force for a global ethic. There can be no peace among nations without peace among religions, and no peace among religions without dialogue between religions, he believes.
There are more commonalities in the ethics of religions than in their dogmas, said Father Küng.
Most people recognize at least minimal ethics that encourages honesty, trust and respect for life, he noted.
That said, Father Küng’s global ethic is not a call for all religions to collapse into one entity, but rather for a committed dialogue that would lead to the identification of common principles.
Religions must engage in dialogue with governments to develop a common ethic, which would be reflected in laws and policies, and to teach it, he believes.
The lack of ethic in completely secular countries, like France, is no surprise, said Father Küng, as children there receive no instruction in religion or ethics in school.
According to the theologian, children who are not taught religion or ethics have not received an education.
Father Küng told The Catholic Times he supports Quebec’s move toward a program of ethics and religious culture in schools. However, he warned about the need to represent religious traditions adequately.
"I think just to have a secular ethic without taking into account the religious traditions, which are older than government and state, would be illusionary," he said.
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