The Council And Reunion

by Hans Küng, Cecily Hastings (Translator)

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Genres: Theology, Religion

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1965

About the author

Hans 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 Küng is "a Catholic priest in good standing," but the Vatican has rescinded his authority to teach Catholic theology.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.

Reviews

[Alex Strohschein]

Published immediately before the convening of the Second Vatican Council, this is a highly aspirational work that proposes ways that the council can be used to further unity between Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants. Pope John XXIII comes across much like Pope Francis does today - eager and keen to reform the Church into a more welcoming institution, gracious in gesture, dispelling with pontifical pomp and aligning with those on the margins. Of course, Hans Küng's fervid hopes for reunion have not been fulfilled, with many conservative Catholics and Protestants content to participate in an "ecumenism of the trenches" rather than in doctrinal and practical unity. Still, some of Küng's hopes or proposals for ecclesiastical reform were implemented following Vatican II which is itself a seemingly ever-contested council.

[Sergiu S. Dobre]

I have started the 2025 challenge with one of the best books I have read recently! It might sound a bit weird for a Baptist to praise a radical, progressive Catholic but Kung was indeed a revelation for me. His high hopes for the Second Vatican Council, his irenicity, his optimism and sincere desire for the renewal of the Catholic Church in view of a potential reunification is quite refreshing!
I don't know why his book is so poorly rated but, well...de gustibus!

I highly recommend it!

[John Hayward]

The principles identified by Hans Kung in "The Council, Reform and Reunion" obviously speak not just to the Catholic Church but to all churches and church traditions.

[Louise]

He misses the whole point of the council. Concentrates on ecumenism with Protestants.