On 14 December, the third issue of the «Masters of the Spirit», edited by Vito Mancuso, will be on newsstands with the newspaper. The Swiss scholar was disavowed by the Holy See for his unconventional positions
In the introduction to What I believe
(2009), the book that more than any other illustrates his spirituality (on December 14 on newsstands with the “Corriere”), Hans Küng writes: “I have never said, written, announced anything other than what I believe”, a phrase that is wonderful to be able to pronounce at the end of life as a seal of the most important fidelity, that of oneself. These words also offer an overall look at the work and the person of the author, why the theology practiced by a particular theologian strictly depends on his personal spirituality.
What do I mean by spirituality? I mean the awakening and dedication of freedom. Within us there is an indeterminate and free energy that sometimes allows us to act creatively, and not just to react deterministically to the stimuli received. This energy, ontologically conceived, is called anima or also spirit; dynamically conceived, it is called freedom. Well, to speak of Küng’s theology it is necessary to grasp his spirituality, and to grasp his spirituality it is necessary to indicate his freedom.
We read in this book: “One thing is a person’s official religion, which binds him to his religious community. Another is the religion of the heart (heart religion), which everyone carries within himself, in his heart: the latter is individual and only partially matches the “official” one. Knowing something of this natural religion, of this philosophy of personal life, represents from the psychological point of view a “master way” to deeply understand a person ». It is therefore from this heart that the peculiarity of Küng’s spirituality emerges.
His ponderous theological work has four characteristics salient points: 1) theoretical penetration: in addition to being a theologian, he was also a philosopher, like Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Cusano, and in the twentieth century Paul Tillich and Raimon Panikkar; the highest essay in this regard is the monumental 1970 study of Hegel’s theological thought entitled Incarnation of God; 2) systematic vision: in his main works the genre of extremely popular medieval, with that didactically clear and hierarchically configured organization of the material, particularly precious today, when analyzes abound but overall views are scarce; 3) exhibition form: Küng was a globally successful essayist thanks to his style that is never hermetic but always attentive to the reader, perfectly corresponding to his innate kindness and amiability; 4) intellectual honesty: Karl Barth one day wrote to him “I like to consider you in all your way of acting an Israelite in which there is no guile», Clear reference to the words of Jesus on Nathanael defined as« an Israelite in whom there is no falsehood ».
The four characteristics recalled (theory, systematicity, clarity, honesty) allowed Küng to successfully tackle not only the traditional themes of theological work but also frontier areas such as world ethics, economics, other religions, science, poetry and literature, music. The vastness of his studies and the clear writing made him not only an eminent theologian, but also one of the most listened to intellectuals in the world; the only case, as far as I know, among the theologians of the twentieth century.
The Church soon became aware of Hans Küng’s extraordinary gifts: after his studies in Rome and Paris, at the age of 32, it had appointed him professor and professor at the faculty of Catholic Theology in Tübingen, the most important center of German theology and therefore, at that time, of the world. It was 1960 and two years later Vatican II opened, where Küng was called as theological consultant, the youngest participant in the conciliar assembly. What then did John Paul II bring on December 18, 1979 to revoke his status as a Catholic theologian? The answer sounds paradoxical: Küng’s will to be truly Catholic. The Greek adjective katholikós it means “universal” and this is what Küng has always aimed at: to unite human beings as much as possible. He no longer wanted to be Roman Catholic, but more genuinely Catholic-universal, that is, a man among men, at the service of the good of the world.
But what did the Catholic Magisterium see as problematic in this immense work? The answer is simple: freedom. The freedom with which Küng proceeded was perceived as a threat to the stability of the institution. The matter became hot with the book Infallible? A question (1970) in which Küng bluntly criticized the dogma of papal infallibility. Other reasons for dissent were added, including the function of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the criteria for episcopal appointments, the role of women, sexuality, euthanasia, priestly celibacy, the freedom of theological research, until John Paul II took the provision mentioned above.
The new volume. Life, faith and battles of the Swiss innovator
The book by Hans Küng comes out on newsstands on Tuesday 14 December with the Corriere della Sera and the magazine Oggi What I believe, at the price of e 7.90 plus the price of the daily or weekly newspaper. This is the third issue of the “Masters of the Spirit” series, edited by the theologian Vito Mancuso, which offers a review of authors belonging to different traditions, but united by the primacy attributed to the fundamental values of human conscience. Of great importance in this regard is undoubtedly the figure of Küng, born in 1928 in Sursee, in the Swiss canton of Lucerne. Ordained a priest in Rome in 1954, in 1960, at the age of 32, he became holder of a chair at the faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Tübingen in Germany, where he founded the Institute for Ecumenical Research. Between 1962 and 1965 Küng participated in the work of the Second Vatican Council, during which he distinguished himself for his innovative positions. His book is from 1970 Infallible? One question, published in Italy by Antaeus, who put him in a bad light among the ecclesiastical hierarchy because he criticized the dogma of papal infallibility. In 1979 the authorization to teach Catholic Theology was revoked in Küng, but the person concerned continued his work of study and dissemination with considerable success. Küng died in Tübingen on 6 April 2021. The next appointment in the series «Masters of the Spirit» is December 21 with the volume Why pray, how to pray by Enzo Bianchi. Followed by: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Resistance and yield. Letters and writings from prison (December 28); Mother Teresa of Calcutta, An infinite heart (4 gennaio); Mahatma Gandhi, My creed, my thoughts (January 11).
December 11, 2021 (change December 11, 2021 | 20:26)
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