MemoirAs a Roman Catholic priest-scholar, Hans Küng has been both blessed and cursed by his outstanding intelligence.
Alarmingly clever, industrious and self-confident even as a theology student, Küng scarcely refers to a single personal failure in the many pages of his first volume of memoirs. Perhaps it was inevitable that the quasi-infallibility asserted by Küng would eventually explode against the doctrinal infallibility asserted by the Pope.
Küng is not unaware of his pugnacious character and quotes a friendly theologian saying of his youthful self: "He is certainly impudent." In truth, he had every reason to hold a high opinion of his abilities. He was only 32 when his book, Justification (1957), became an immediate classic. As a study with profound implications for Christian unity, it was acclaimed by Karl Barth, the greatest Protestant theologian of the age.
During the 1960s Küng published numerous books which, drawing on decades of pioneering scholarship by Protestant and Catholic theologians, influenced decisively many of the debates and conclusions of the Second Vatican Council. He regularly quotes ecstatic tributes to the impact of his work. For example, Peter Hebblethwaite, an authoritative critic, wrote that "Küng had provided the real agenda for the Council . . . Never again would an individual theologian have such influence". This seems a fair assessment in the light of Küng's genius for verbal expression and scholarly synthesis, not to speak of his fearless readiness to express controversial views.
Küng was, however, merely one of a brilliant constellation of RC theologians who laid the groundwork for Vatican II. Many of them had been harassed and even silenced by the Vatican before the Council acclaimed their work. Küng is generous in his praise of his great contemporaries (especially Yves Congar and Karl Rahner) so long as they adhere to his own vision of reform. But when, like Joseph Ratzinger, they join the Vatican Curia - an institution tirelessly reviled by Küng - they are excoriated for seeking career advancement in preference to theological integrity. The recent Ratzinger-sponsored document, 'Dominus Iesus', is damned as "a combination of medieval backwardness and Vatican megalomania" - a judgment designed to influence people but hardly likely to win friends.
Küng also defines the popes of his era according to his own unforgiving standards of theological literacy, moral courage and spiritual vision. Pius XII is dispatched as an egomaniac obsessed with retaining maximum power and yet ready to compromise repeatedly with the Nazis. Paul VI is described as enigmatic, indecisive and easily bullied by a rampant Curia determined at whatever cost to maintain its privileges. Only John XXIII is portrayed favourably as the genuinely humble, inclusive and pastoral Pope the church requires: "A pope who is a Christian - that's the sensation!"
Among modern popes, Küng's greatest wrath is reserved for the present pontiff. Unlike Küng's account of Paul VI, every reference to Pope John Paul II is hostile and some of his criticisms are unworthy. For example, when he speaks of John Paul II as "all too self-confident", do we hear the distant sound of academic pots and kettles clanging?
Küng's character and values were radically shaped by his Swiss nationality. Born in 1928 into a large, prosperous and happy family, he imbibed the democratic and republican spirit of his homeland. Küng constantly refers to this inheritance. He will worship neither men nor institutions! Better death than slavery! Spiritual dictatorship must be resisted! No wonder he came to loathe the Vatican court's preoccupation with honours, deference and secrecy.
Jesus Christ said the truth would set us free. Yet Christian churches have all too often been characterised by life-crushing guilt, fear and repression. "Inquisition" is just about the rudest word in Küng's lexicon. Predictably, "freedom" is the concept that appears to inspire him more than any other. But there's little appreciation here of the necessary limits to freedom. Does each individual scholar decide what constitutes true doctrine? What of the theologians who deny the resurrection and divinity of Christ? Or, indeed, those who deny any traditional understanding of God?
Küng is wholly justified, however, in demolishing the Vatican's particular way of dealing with dissent. Often it reflects the values of Joseph Stalin rather than of Jesus Christ. A recent article in The Tablet (November 22nd) described how this psychological violence and intimidation continue 40 years after Vatican II. These shameful procedures seriously undermine the RC church's entitlement to preach human rights to others. In the face of such evil, we need prophets as blunt and resilient as Hans Küng.
This book is an enormously informative and provocative reflection on the first 40 years of Küng's life. Its style is colloquial and readily accessible to non-theologians, though the constant use of the "historic present" is an irritating aspect of the translation.
During a triumphal US lecture tour Küng tells us that he drove a new Chevrolet car at 110 mph before commenting: "I drive as I do theology - fast but safe." Flash Hansi? Certainly. But whether one considers that Küng's theology leads us to the sunny uplands of true ecumenism, or that he is taking us for a ride towards error and schism, these memoirs remain an invaluable account of the RC church's journey over the last half-century.
John Feighery is a Divine Word Missionary priest who spent many years in Brazil. He has a special interest in issues relating to peace and justice
My Struggle for Freedom: Memoirs By Hans Küng, translated by John Bowden Continuum, 478pp. £25