The Right to Teach Catholic Theology

In 1933, a concordat between Germany and the Vatican was signed by Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli (who later became Pope Pius XII) and Hitler's vice-chancellor, Franz von Papen. This concordat granted the Catholic Church in Germany certain rights and favors in exchange for certain concessions made by the Church to the government. In 1957 the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the concordat was still binding under present German law.

Section 22 provides for "the designation of teachers of the Catholic religion . . . by mutual agreement between the local bishop and the local state government." This means that no one can be appointed to teach Catholic theology without Church approval, not even at a state-run school.

This raises the interesting question: Can Küng continue to teach theology as a member of the university's theological faculty, although not officially representing the Church? Or must the university transfer him to another department to teach a nonreligious subject?

The members of Tübingen's Catholic theological faculty had come out in overwhelming support of Küng, but in February called upon him to resign from the theological staff. Küng thereafter canceled his classes, but said he was "saddened that they [were] just now taking this action" after supporting him at the beginning.

Küng's View

Küng denies that he is a disgruntled heretic-indeed, the Church has stopped short of accusing him of heresy. At present he neither rejects the Church with its papacy nor tries to turn Catholics away from Catholicism. To the contrary. In a letter to Pope Paul VI he acknowledged his "criticism of our Church," but called it "a criticism based on love." The basis for his criticism, he claims, is Pope John XXIII's wish, expressed at the 1962 Ecumenical Council Vatican II, "to let some fresh air into the church."

"Progressive" Catholics have been quick to support Küng's suggestions for reform on such subjects as birth control, women in the priesthood and priest celibacy. Also by questioning such doctrines as papal infallibility, the doctrine that Christ and God are "one in substance" and the doctrine of the virgin birth, he has touched on subjects many Catholics find difficult to believe. His call for a more democratic form of Church government, allowing bishops a greater share in shaping Church policy, has found widespread support.

Küng says he has never claimed to be an official spokesman for the Hierarchy. Rather, "as a Catholic theologian inside the Church" he sees himself as a spokesman "for the legitimate concerns of numerous Catholics." He asks: "When will the representatives of the financially so-well-oiled and perfectly administrated Church apparatus finally recognize in the silent departure of hundreds of thousands of Catholics . . . an alarm signal calling for critical self-examination?"