Professor Hans Küng, long regarded as the enfant terrible among Catholic theologians though he is now an illustrious 88-year-old, has asked Pope Francis to open a theological dialogue on the subject of infallibility. He says the Pope’s response, which he has just received, has been positive. This is not hard to believe. Ever since his election to the papacy, Pope Francis has acted as if the dialogue Professor Küng wants has already occurred and the result is settled. Francis is as undogmatic a pope as it is possible to imagine. But if this amounts to a redefinition of the papal teaching office in practice, what need is there to revisit a theory that has, so to speak, been left behind?
28 April 2016, The Tablet
Kung pins hope on Francis
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User Comments (4)
We are all, including the Pope, infallible when at Mass we rise and proclaim the Apostles' Creed. And that's good enough.
This doctrine deserves questioning for two reasons. Firstly in the narrow sense, where it is used on a belief like the assumption of Mary. This is an unscriptural belief and is a major barrier to ecumenical dialogue, typifying the inherent problem with the basic concept of papal infallibility.
Secondly, you rightly note the creeping nature of the concept of infallibility. It is extended further, not just by popes like the last two, but also by arrogant Roman congregations, like the doctrinal, sacramental and episcopal departments, who almost assume that it applies to them by extension. Their treatment of even moderate bishops in my country, trying to minister to remote communities, has been appalling.
If this creeping infallibility trend is reversed, there is hope that the church will become more truly an ecumenical world wide body, without the centralising control model that has given us the shame of ex communications of good people, the protected abuse of children and other horrors like the inquisition. We must discover that the institution is the servant, not the master.
Prof Kung has been a great and unheard prophet. It would be wonderful if he was rescued from his time down the well, in his lifetime, and the church finally listened to him and addressed this sad error.