A Tale of 2 Periti

(With apologies to Charles Dickens, sort of.) Both then Fr. Joseph Ratzinger & Fr. Hans Küng served as a peritus at Vatican II. Ratzinger served as peritus to Cardinal Josef Frings, Archbishop of Cologne, Germany, while Küng was a peritus for the Council, rather than for an individual Bishop. In the years since both have trod down completely opposite paths. But in another way the paths have run parallel to each other.

I recently came across an interesting article by Dr. Samuel Gregg who is Research Director at the Acton Institute about the path each has trod & where it has led. Benedict XVI, Hans Kung and Catholicism’s Future is an article that looks at those paths & where they have led.

The accepted view is that back at Vatican II they were pretty much on the same page & it is only after Vatican II that their paths diverged. But this article shares something written by the Jesuit Henri de Lubac in his diary that shows how different they already were at the time. In the diary Ratzinger is portrayed as one whose powerful intellect is matched by his “peacefulness” & “affability.” Then there is Kung. He is denoted by Fr. de Lubac as possessing a “juvenile audacity” & speaking in “incendiary, superficial, and polemical” terms. Given how things are today, it seems like in this aspect, nothing has changed.

The post Vatican II path for Fr. Ratzinger eventually led to him to the Papacy & to being known as 1 of the greatest Bible Theologians of modern times. Kung was eventually forbidden to teach Catholic theology & his opinions are only important to a few dissidents who are unwilling to admit the fact that the Catholic Church they are attempting to destroy never will be.

The article looks at the paths they took, but it also looks at their agendas & how well they have worked. Or should I say how Kung's has failed & why Ratzinger/Papa Benedetto's is the right one? Dr. Gregg shows us what is wrong with Kung's agenda & what is right with Papa Benedetto's in a nutshell. & in a way that is understandable even for those who don't know "theology". I suggest you follow the link above or below to read the entire article. It is well worth it. Unless you are a fan of Kung & prefer to keep your delusions that Kung is right. Then this article will force you to face those delusions &, like it or not, if you are honest, you will admit Kung took the wrong path, Ratzinger the right one.

Source: The Incredible Shrinking Kung