Recently, the famous Catholic Swiss theologian, Hans Küng, died. When I read the news, I was both a bit sad and very glad for my memories and his superb contribution to so many areas of religious life. Küng lived all of my life---and then some. He was born in 1928 in the Canton Lucerne into a Swiss family. The father worked in a shoe store. He went to Catholic schools and then on to the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome to study theology and philosophy. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1954. At that point, I had never heard of him.
Interestingly, he went back to Switzerland where he served as a parish priest for a couple years. At that point, he was invited by the renowned Protestant theologian, Karl Barth, to lecture on the potential reform of the Catholic Church at the University of Basel. Ironically, this was only days before then Pope John XXIII announced his intentions to call a council to begin in 1959. Of course, this council became known as Vatican II, doubtlessly the most impactful Catholic event in my entire life.
Using the notes from his lecture at Basel, Küng published a book, The Council, Reform and Reunion, which it turned out, “became programmatic to the number of Vatican II documents.” Küng became an official advisor at Vatican II at the invitation of Bishop Carl Joseph Leiprecht of Rottenburg, Germany. Rottenburg invited Küng “to be his personal peritus, or expert, at the upcoming council. Küng was therefore one of a few experts who offered opinions and charted the future course of not only Catholic history, but the history of Christianity and the whole ecumenical movement. That is really where his story intersects my own story.
In his own words, Küng describe his agreement to go back to Rome to attend Vatican II. He quips, “How am I to suspect that this yes will determine my fate for almost a decade and beyond?” I would argue it affected his fate---mine and so many others for much longer! We are told he was the youngest expert at the council, a mere 34 years old. He joined others, who were much more known, i.e. Edward Schillebeeckx of Belgium and Yves Congar of France---names I knew before I knew about Küng. However, his rising star began to happen.
One reason Küng became so valuable was the simple fact he knew multiple languages. As the author of an article I am using, Patricia Lefevere, puts it, “his fluency in French, Italian, Dutch, German, English and Latin made him the go-to guy in dealing with the press. I have known many Europeans who always have this advantage. I smile because in college I became aware that the English I grew up with in rural Indiana was not even that good! I was already woefully behind!
I don’t want to cite the many books Küng authored that continued to make him both controversial and famous. I have read a few of them. What I would like to do, however, is laud his early and ever-present interest in what is called ecumenical and interfaith work. By ecumenical I mean the dialogue and reconciliation with the many traditions within the Christian family. To be sure, it is Catholic and Protestant, but it is more. It is Quaker and Catholic, Lutheran and Catholic, and any other combination of two or more you want to include.
Küng was able to do this reconciling work because he realized as early as the 1960s that his theology was for all people, as he put it. In fact, this often put him at odds with the leadership of the Catholic Church---sometimes even the Pope. We get a sense for this from an incident in 1965. The then Pope, Paul VI who had succeeded John XXIII when he died, asked Küng “for whom was he doing theology?” Küng pondered that and realized “My theology obviously isn’t for the pope (and his followers), who clearly doesn’t want my theology as it is.”
Küng’s theology “as it is” normally meant that non-Catholics were on equal footing with Catholics within the love of God. He also felt that non-Christians also had truth to speak to our world. As Küng’s life unfolded, his became quite convinced it was Weltethos, world ethics that was the key, not beliefs. All religious traditions had something to say about compassion and justice. It was less about your theology of human nature and more about how you actually treated other human beings.
There is so much more to say about Küng. But I would like to close by thanking him for the work he did at Vatican II and since then. Had that council not done the work of significantly changing the Catholic Church, I and all the other non-Catholic leaders and layfolk would not have the relationships and quality of relationships we have with Catholic leaders. I count as some of my best friends and colleagues Catholic educators, priests and monks. I can’t imagine my life without having learned and, for short periods, lived in monastic settings. I would not have an abiding interest in Thomas Merton, contemplative spirituality and so much more.
This underscores how important people are in our lives. Of course, many people are those we know well---parents, friends, etc. But other people are those whom we never meet, but who affect us in profound ways. Such is Hans Küng---a spiritual giant on the religion stage for 60+ years. May God bless him and continue to bless his work.
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