Predictably Fr Hans Kung has seen the news of Pope Benedict’s resignation as yet another opportunity to castigate his former colleague and friend. Pope Benedict XVI reached out to the embittered Fr Kung shortly after his election, inviting him to a private dinner in the Apostolic Palace. Fr Kung responded by launching a series of vicious personal attacks on the Holy Father.
Kung called the step “understandable for many reasons”. The 84-year-old, who worked with Benedict in southern Germany in the 1960s, added: “It is to be hoped however, that Ratzinger will not exercise an influence on the choice of his successor.”
He repeated his past criticisms of the pope, saying: “During his time in office he has ordained so many conservative cardinals, that amongst them is hardly a single person to be found who could lead the church out of its multifaceted crisis.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/11/pope-resigns-live-reaction
Thank God Pope Benedict gave us conservative Cardinals to the chagrin of Fr Hans Kung. We now need to pray for a saintly new pope to be elected at the conclave coming up. Only the truth will set us free. The smoke of satan has entered into our UK government and the US too. We need strong saintly and holy leaders to speak the truth in the cacophony of lies surrounding us all. Blessed be God in his Angels and in his Saints and thank you for great Pope Benedict XVI.
This is the guy with a 6 ft statue of himself in his back garden, pride is the worst of all sins. Mr Kung should go and crawl back under his rock.
If this man were a martial art he’d be a Kung Fool.
“Woodruff has developed a senile infatuation for a very dangerous clergyman called Kung – not Chinese, central European ; a heresiarch who in happier days would be roasted.”
- Evelyn Waugh, Letter to Lady Acton, 10 June 1963
What a jealous man.
Sad waste of an intellect….it’s , by Divine Providence, never, ever going to be “Pope Hans 1st” is it? How that must annoy!
Bavaria 1 Switzerland 0
History will show that both Kung and Ratzinger to be men who did great things for the church in the 1960′s. Most people who dismiss Kung have not read his trilogy on Christ. Nor his book on the church which was a must read for the Vat 2 bishops. It was Kungs and Ratzingers talks that the bishops loved to atend. Most people dont really understand the whole debate between Kung and the cdf and his eventual loss of his theological licence. The then Ratzinger was and is fond of Kung. Their theological work will stand the test of time. They are very different characters but in my opinion, both holy men. Peter
I agree with Peter. Fr. Kung is a brave theologian with a keen eye who can challenge the man-made dogma like Infallibility that stymies Christian unity. As a Catholic I unashamedly support him. We do need such intellectuals for checks and balances, without which Church hierarchy’s scandals and errors will only repeat.
If there were mo such thing as ecclesial infallibility, how could the Church withstand the assaults of the fallen angels? These spirits aren’t wimps. If God stood aside, any one of them could deceive you simply by exercising his will upon your intellect, and you wouldn’t have the first clue that you’re being deceived, let alone that a spirit is coercing you.
True, Micheal. I know I would be no match for the fallen angels, not even close, and that’s why I pray for His mercy everyday. You got it right when you said “If God stood aside..” The key word here is God, not the infallible pope, I think. Of course I am not saying we don’t need the pope or even pope is bad; he is our leader, the shepherd, period. But we should not confuse church hierarchy, which is human institution that can err, with the immutable Church, the body of Christ. God bless!
Kee,
You define yourself as a Catholic.Re-read what you have written and then look at the Magisterium of the Church.
Yeah, exactly, that’s my point. I believe that our Church is immeasurably higher than the Magisterium: they are not equal.
Kee,
What do you mean by this-that there are 1.7 billion flavours of Catholicism?
The Catechism of Christian Doctrine answers all the questions for most people unless they are Pontifical theologians.
If you want to be a Protestant Catholic that’s different however.
I don’t know why Hans Kung doesn’t admit the fact others can think differently from him. Kung wants other theologians to uphold his views as sancrosanct. This is genesis of his antagonism with Benedict XVI that started when Benedict XVI as a theologian left the journal Concilium to found Communio.
Why don’t Catholics think others can think differently from them?
But we do. However, if they disagree with the teaching of the Church they can’t call themselves Catholic.
BTW Fr. Kung was one of the few theologians who claimed that theologically the pope, if necessary, CAN resign as opposed to serve out until death no matter what. And he put the authority of Ecumenical Council above the papacy.
That the Pope may resign his office is enshrined in Canon Law. Kung has nothing to do with it.
Kee: May I suggest you read para 22 of Lumen Gentium. Presumably you accept that document as it has come out of an Ecumenical Council? If so you will see that an Ecumenical Council cannot work separately from the papacy.
Dear Eugenio,
I love the papal nom-de -plume.
Why don’t Stalinists, Maoists, Telegraph readers, Democrats,SS members, Falun Gong,Beano readers think others can think differently from them?
It always makes me smile when the hideous crimes of the Inquisition are revealed for the umpteenth time…yet we fail to record the wonderful duplicity of John Calvin to Michael Severtus 1511-1553..a heretic on the run from Catholics.
Offered sanctuary in Protestant Geneva, John Calvin had him burned as a Protestant heretic as well!
Caro Eugenio, I wish to think, Hans Kung’s views on Benedict XVI as theologian and pope are found wanting objectively speaking. Remember his open letter to all the bishops that was greeted with silence. It was litany of the failures of Benedict XVI and at the end he was advocated for the Third Vatican Council. I invite you to Kung’s “Salviamo la Chiesa” he paints the Church black and believes on his views can salvage the Church. I wonder why he spends most of the time talking about Ratzinger. I am grateful to Benedict XVI for protecting the faith of the weak from theological manipulations.
gabriel s
feb12 2013 9:39 pm
People who obey people who don’t obey God are not obeying God. Everybody is resposible for what she or he does, nobody else is responsible. God has give us liberty to follow Him, if we give blind obedience to anybody then we are not using what God has given us. The Pope has shown more love for the Church than for the people hurt by those who were protected by the church. And very humanly it seems that he doesn’t want to be blamed for it.
Many cardinals would love to be elected but only a very good Christian or a highly egocentric man would take the job waiting for them.
Hans Kung thinks more like a German Protestant, he clearly has an evangelical zeal, which is
in itself a good but the Church always belongs to God and not to us, we enter the sacred relationship with God through the sacraments, through a mediated reality. I feel that Hans Kung wants a resolution of salvation through the fragility of human rights. Of course we might feel comfortable with a more democratic Church but that is the trouble for our comfort and self-preoccupation could never lead to the God of Love.
Robin ,
I think you have something …….I could well imagine him wearing an Evangelical Ruff and being a bishop ………………of course a bishop in the Lutheran church ….in somewhere like , …dunno…Rostock??
“Bitter” is just not an adjective that applies to Dr. Kung.
Benedict has two weeks left to infallibly proclaim the last great truth of the Catholic Faith: the infallibility of Hans Kung. But even then I don’t suppose Prof Kung will be happy…..
Did not refer to Fr. Kung as “the (anti) pope of Tubingen”?
Hans Kung is spending the rest of his life a bitter man. Pope Benedict has shown himself a true disciple of Jesus Christ, extending a hand of reconciliation to Hans Kung. Kung has remained always ungrateful. A pity for him. God bless the Pope. We love and pray for him as he retires. God will raise up another Pope who will lead the Church along her pilgrim journey.