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Memoirs
Izborena sloboda: Sjećanja
Hans Küng is undoubtedly one of the most important theologians of our time, but he has always been a controversial figure, and as the result of a much-publicized clash over papal infallibility had his permission to teach revoked by the Vatican. Yet at seventy-five years of age Küng is also something of a senior statesman, one of the "Group of Eminent Persons" convened by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and a friend of heads of government like Britain's Tony Blair and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.
In this fascinating autobiography Küng gives a frank and outspoken account of the first four decades of his life. He tells of his youth in Switzerland and his decision to become a priest, of his doubts and struggles as he studied in Rome and Paris, and of his experiences as a professor in Tübingen, where he received a chair at the early age of thirty-one. Most importantly, as one of the last surviving eyewitnesses of Vatican II, Küng gives an authentic account of the conflicts behind the scenes. Here it becomes clear just how major an influence he was, to the point of shaping the Council's agenda and drafting speeches for bishops to deliver in plenary sessions.
Küng's book offers an acute analysis, compelling in its drama, of meetings with presidents like John F. Kennedy, popes like John XXIII and Paul VI, great theologians like Karl Barth and Karl Rahner, and journeys around the world. With its rich thought and vivid narrative, it paints a moving picture of Küng's personal convictions, including his relentless struggle for a Christianity characterized not by the domination of an official church but by Jesus.
605 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
17 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Hans Küng
338 books146 followersHans Küng was a Swiss Catholic priest, controversial theologian, and prolific author. Since 1995 he had been President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic (Stiftung Weltethos). Küng is "a Catholic priest in good standing," but the Vatican has rescinded his authority to teach Catholic theology. Though he had to leave the Catholic faculty, he remained at the University of Tübingen as a professor of Ecumenical Theology and served as Emeritus Professor since 1996. In spite of not being allowed to teach Catholic theology, neither his bishop nor the Holy See had revoked his priestly faculties.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 22, 2014
After reading this, I consider Hans Küng as probably the greatest Catholic theologian of the 20th-21st century. I've read only one other of his books, Infallible, before this one through the years, as well as a few articles. But because of circumstances in my own life when his most vital work was being done, e.g., at the 2nd Vatican Council, I failed to avail myself of his work. My loss, entirely. He expresses what I and many people, especially Catholics, have been thinking all these years about the nature of the Roman Catholic Church & the impact of the Council, or lack thereof, after 1965.
To say that Küng has been a "prolific" writer is a weak description. The amount of his works, and really quality stuff, is staggering. In my view, he's a genius, a rare theologian who comes along at just the right moment in history. What this book makes clear is Küng's transparent faithfulness & truthfulness, to the point of pain sometimes, as a follower of Christ, as a human being, as a devoted priest, and as a loyal (in the best sense of that word) son of the Catholic Church. Some would say a "prophet", though that's a term I don't like to bandy about, even if it might be true. That is not to canonize him, or to say that he hasn't made mistakes, or that his is the only truth. But in his over 80 years, Küng has done all, in my opinion, that's humanly possible to help others, including the Catholic Church administration, to have a vision of what Jesus might have had in mind for his followers. Unfortunately, Küng has been criticized through the years, demeaned, ousted, forbidden to teach, by many, not least by several Popes & especially by cardinals of the Vatican Curia in their fear for & blatant lust of power. Even with this he has tried in every case to respond calmly, and reasonably, and in accord with true freedom & truthfulness.
Since I have lived through the time of the Council and its aftermath, Küng's book has enlightened me greatly on much of the "back story", and many of my own observations at the time and through the years until now are consistent with what he writes. If nothing else, this first book of his memoirs underlines the tremendous gift to the Church (and the world) of the election of Pope Francis, & the extreme urgency of his welcome & very pastoral actions so far for the Church. One can only hope that they will recapture the initial gains of the Council, which since 1965 have been all but lost, & carry them further for the benefit of all Christianity & the world.
I've already begun the second book of Küng's Memoirs: Disputed Truth!
To say that Küng has been a "prolific" writer is a weak description. The amount of his works, and really quality stuff, is staggering. In my view, he's a genius, a rare theologian who comes along at just the right moment in history. What this book makes clear is Küng's transparent faithfulness & truthfulness, to the point of pain sometimes, as a follower of Christ, as a human being, as a devoted priest, and as a loyal (in the best sense of that word) son of the Catholic Church. Some would say a "prophet", though that's a term I don't like to bandy about, even if it might be true. That is not to canonize him, or to say that he hasn't made mistakes, or that his is the only truth. But in his over 80 years, Küng has done all, in my opinion, that's humanly possible to help others, including the Catholic Church administration, to have a vision of what Jesus might have had in mind for his followers. Unfortunately, Küng has been criticized through the years, demeaned, ousted, forbidden to teach, by many, not least by several Popes & especially by cardinals of the Vatican Curia in their fear for & blatant lust of power. Even with this he has tried in every case to respond calmly, and reasonably, and in accord with true freedom & truthfulness.
Since I have lived through the time of the Council and its aftermath, Küng's book has enlightened me greatly on much of the "back story", and many of my own observations at the time and through the years until now are consistent with what he writes. If nothing else, this first book of his memoirs underlines the tremendous gift to the Church (and the world) of the election of Pope Francis, & the extreme urgency of his welcome & very pastoral actions so far for the Church. One can only hope that they will recapture the initial gains of the Council, which since 1965 have been all but lost, & carry them further for the benefit of all Christianity & the world.
I've already begun the second book of Küng's Memoirs: Disputed Truth!
July 31, 2011
Kind of an old man's ramblings, but delivers amazing insights into what really happened at Vatican II. Probably only other (practicing, lapsed, recovering or whatever) Catholics will like it. The author is a hugely courageous man, though. Most of his work in theology is truly mind-expanding.
October 26, 2007
It is amazing to see that a theologian in the Roman Catholic church struggles with the same issue of freedom as those in Baptist circles. Very slow going at times, especially when talking about Vatican II, but also quite interesting in terms of his personal history and theological development.
June 18, 2018
MY STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
This book was perhaps a bit over my head.
So much Latin, which was discontinued at my high school a year before I would have taken it.
So many names I’d never heard before, probably because I am Protestant and most of the men mentioned were Catholic.
I appreciate the reflections on Popes John XXIII and Paul VI, both I remember from my youth. I don’t remember Pius XII but had read about him in other books. I well remember John Paul II, who Kung has little affection for. Part of my heritage is Polish Catholic so this grates on me, but admittedly I didn’t follow John Paul’s reign too closely. I do remember the joy and excitement of his visit to my native Baltimore.
Kung tends to be long-winded and this is a long, ponderous book. But if one can get through it, he/she will cheer for Kung as he tries to bring reform to the Church.
Some highlights:
Is the Bible free of error? Ernst Kaseman gives me many instances which I can no longer overlook: because of its multiplicity, fragmentary nature and complexity the New Testament does not offer any uniform inerrant doctrinal system, as is still assumed by Lutheran and Reformed orthodoxy in its defence (sic) against the Catholic principle of tradition. The various writings of the New Testament are stamped by the extremely different situations for proclamation in which the various authors and their communities stand. In other words, I have to concede that there are tensions, inconsistencies and contradictions in the New Testament: already between the three Synoptic Gospels (of Mark, Matthew and Luke) and between these and the Gospel of John; and also between the authentic letters of Paul and the inauthentic letters, between Paul and James…all this must be taken seriously, and not glossed over by imposing a dogmatic conclusion.
…we need not immediately give up the unity of scripture and the New Testament canon of scripture simply because of all the difference… It dawns on me that a reshaping, development and revision of the original message, depending on the changing situations in which the authors preached and of their communities, was absolutely necessary. This in particular give us today the right once again to translate the original Christian message into a new situation of preaching instead of merely repeating it word for word, to interpret it in a way which accords with the time.
Kung wrote on page 62:
“My expectations of spiritual training aren’t disappointed, and I truly don’t want to miss this — particularly in view of the rather scanty spiritual training that is usually given today to theological students, especially Protestants.”
As much as I loved my three years of Seminary education and living, I admit that there was little spiritual training there and what there was came from Father Ed Sanders, a Jesuit.
On page 64:
‘Perfection ‘ is to be achieved biblically, not by going into a cloister but by going into the world, practising an active religion open to the world which finds God not only in the church but in all things.
Three stars
This book was perhaps a bit over my head.
So much Latin, which was discontinued at my high school a year before I would have taken it.
So many names I’d never heard before, probably because I am Protestant and most of the men mentioned were Catholic.
I appreciate the reflections on Popes John XXIII and Paul VI, both I remember from my youth. I don’t remember Pius XII but had read about him in other books. I well remember John Paul II, who Kung has little affection for. Part of my heritage is Polish Catholic so this grates on me, but admittedly I didn’t follow John Paul’s reign too closely. I do remember the joy and excitement of his visit to my native Baltimore.
Kung tends to be long-winded and this is a long, ponderous book. But if one can get through it, he/she will cheer for Kung as he tries to bring reform to the Church.
Some highlights:
Is the Bible free of error? Ernst Kaseman gives me many instances which I can no longer overlook: because of its multiplicity, fragmentary nature and complexity the New Testament does not offer any uniform inerrant doctrinal system, as is still assumed by Lutheran and Reformed orthodoxy in its defence (sic) against the Catholic principle of tradition. The various writings of the New Testament are stamped by the extremely different situations for proclamation in which the various authors and their communities stand. In other words, I have to concede that there are tensions, inconsistencies and contradictions in the New Testament: already between the three Synoptic Gospels (of Mark, Matthew and Luke) and between these and the Gospel of John; and also between the authentic letters of Paul and the inauthentic letters, between Paul and James…all this must be taken seriously, and not glossed over by imposing a dogmatic conclusion.
…we need not immediately give up the unity of scripture and the New Testament canon of scripture simply because of all the difference… It dawns on me that a reshaping, development and revision of the original message, depending on the changing situations in which the authors preached and of their communities, was absolutely necessary. This in particular give us today the right once again to translate the original Christian message into a new situation of preaching instead of merely repeating it word for word, to interpret it in a way which accords with the time.
Kung wrote on page 62:
“My expectations of spiritual training aren’t disappointed, and I truly don’t want to miss this — particularly in view of the rather scanty spiritual training that is usually given today to theological students, especially Protestants.”
As much as I loved my three years of Seminary education and living, I admit that there was little spiritual training there and what there was came from Father Ed Sanders, a Jesuit.
On page 64:
‘Perfection ‘ is to be achieved biblically, not by going into a cloister but by going into the world, practising an active religion open to the world which finds God not only in the church but in all things.
Three stars
September 6, 2025
Superb. Discovered via the quote in Evans' biography of Wyclif: "Throughout my life there is...a thread of militancy, which is not to be confused with quarrelsomeness. I have been involved in many controversies, most of which I have neither sought nor avoided, but none of them have been about incidental matters which I could easily have ignored; they have been about a great cause in which I believe." Prompted another look at Lesslie Newbigin. "The basic problem with which I was to be confronted so often later in life is presented to me by national politics as it were in the cradle: conform and go along with events, or stand firm and resist?"
February 14, 2021
A brave book.
May 7, 2024
When I was studying Theology I knew of a theologian who when asked what he thought of Hans Kung replied, 'every time I hear that name I get a pain in my stomach,' so I went out and bought - On Being a Christian - and started reading the works of Hans Kung and over the years I have read all his books in English translation.
His memoir is amazing and it give a great insight into his upbringing, education and his life in Rome and until he began teaching Moral Theology. Kung often gets a hard press for his views, but if you read his work, which i doubt many who criticize him have done, you will come to see how well thought out his arguments are and just how much in tune he is with the need of the Church to reach out to those marginalized and of other religions.
I was honored to have maintained a penman relationship with him in the later years of his life, his letters I will forever treasure. In the future we will look back on him with great affection.
His memoir is amazing and it give a great insight into his upbringing, education and his life in Rome and until he began teaching Moral Theology. Kung often gets a hard press for his views, but if you read his work, which i doubt many who criticize him have done, you will come to see how well thought out his arguments are and just how much in tune he is with the need of the Church to reach out to those marginalized and of other religions.
I was honored to have maintained a penman relationship with him in the later years of his life, his letters I will forever treasure. In the future we will look back on him with great affection.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews