Küng, Hans

(b. 1928)

   Theologian and Ecumenist.

   Küng was born in Lucerne, Switzerland, and was educated at the Gregorian University and at the Sorbonne. As an ordained priest, he taught at the Roman Catholic faculty in Tübingen. He became known as a champion of reform in the Church. He called for more emphasis on scripture and less on ecclesiastical tradition and papal infallibility.

   As a result of the greater conservatism of the Church under Pope john Paul II, his position as approved teacher within the Church was withdrawn and he moved to the Institute for Ecumenical Research at Tübingen. Among his many books are Council, Reform and Reunion, Infallible?, On Being a Christian, Does God Exist? and Structures of the Church. In recent years he has widened his ecumenical interests still further and he has turned his attention to the world religions and their relationship with Christianity.

   H. Haring and K.-J. Kuschel (eds), Hans Küng: His Work and Way (1979);

   P. Hebblethwaite, The New Inquisition (1980);

   Hans Küng, Why I am Still a Christian (1987).