Pope, Father Hans Kung have 'friendly' meeting, Vatican says

Published: 2005-09-26

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI and German theologian Father Hans Kung, who have known each other for almost 50 years, met Sept. 24 in Castel Gandolfo in what the Vatican described as a "friendly" encounter. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, Vatican spokesman, said Sept. 26 that the pope and Father Kung "agreed that in the space of this meeting it made no sense to enter into an argument about the doctrinal questions remaining between Hans Kung and the magisterium of the church." Father Kung served as a theological expert at the Second Vatican Council, but in 1979 the Vatican withdrew permission for him to teach as a Catholic theologian, although not restricting his ministry as a Catholic priest. The German priest has challenged official church positions on papal infallibility, birth control, priestly celibacy and the all-male priesthood. Navarro-Valls said the meeting focused on two topics of Father Kung's recent work: the possibility of developing a "global ethic" drawing from all religious traditions and the dialogue between Christian faith and science.

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