Küng calls for – wait for it – DISSENT!

Posted on 6 October 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

When I see articles about Fr. Hans Küng, I am tempted simply to make popcorn and enjoy the show.

Question to the readers: How long will it take before Fishwrap has some piece which refers approvingly to Küng’s latest?

Here is a taste the reportage from The Guardian:

Catholic theologian preaches revolution to end church’s ‘authoritarian’ rule
Hans Küng urges confrontation from the grassroots to unseat pope and force radical reform at Vatican

Kate Connolly in Tübingen

One of the world’s most prominent Catholic theologians has called for a revolution from below to unseat the pope and force radical reform at the Vatican. [Remember my post about the nuns with scaling ladders at the Vatican’s walls? HERE]

Hans Küng is appealing to priests and churchgoers to confront the Catholic hierarchy, [Priests are part of the hierarchy.] which he says is corrupt, lacking credibility and apathetic to the real concerns of the church’s members. [In a way, I agree with this. The overriding concern of the clergy should be to keep as many souls out of hell as possible, rather than serving up a steady stream of self-affirming pabulum.]

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Küng, who had close contact with the pope when the two worked together as young theologians, described the church as an “authoritarian system” with parallels to Germany’s Nazi dictatorship. [I invoke Godwin’s Law!]

“The unconditional obedience demanded of bishops who swear their allegiance to the pope when they make their holy oath is almost as extreme as that of the German generals who were forced to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler,” he said. [ROFL!]

The Vatican made a point of crushing any form of clerical dissent, he added. “The rules for choosing bishops are so rigid that as soon as candidates emerge who, say, stand up for the pill, or for the ordination of women, they are struck off the list.” The result was a church of “yes men”, almost all of whom unquestioningly toed the line.

“The only way for reform is from the bottom up,” [This will send a thrill up the leg of the editor of the Fishwrap.] said Küng, 84, who is a priest. “The priests and others in positions of responsibility need to stop being so subservient, to organise themselves and say that there are certain things that they simply will not put up with anymore.”

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