Kung Happy He Met Benedict!

Should I be, too? Or should I be frightened? Expatica's German news in English has the story here

Actually, I'm pleased that Mr. Kung enjoyed his reunion with his former collegue. Pope Benedict XVI acted as a true sheperd and welcomed Kung in imitation of Christ welcoming many sinners and enemies. In fact, I doubt the Pope considers Kung an enemy. Kung certainly doesn't speak of the Pope as one here:

Catholicism's most influential dissident, Hans Kueng, 77, on Tuesday hailed his surprise meeting with Pope Benedict XVI as a sign that the Church is willing to listen to and confront its critics.

The rebel Swiss theologian said Joseph Ratzinger of Germany invited him to dinner Saturday and they chatted for four hours the same way as when they had both been brilliant young theologians at Tuebingen University in Germany.

In an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur in Tuebingen, the priest said he was not seeking a restoration of his 'Missio Canonica' licence to teach theology, which was taken away from him by the Vatican in 1979.

"Even without it I can pursue
a recognized Catholic theology that I do not force on anyone as the only right one," he said.

A Vatican statement said "the meeting unfolded in a friendly atmosphere" while Kueng spoke of his "immense joy" at being able to speak to the head of Catholicism after a wait lasting 25 years.

Kueng said Tuesday he was pleased that media comments on the meeting had not applauded either man at the other's expense.

"This is not a withdrawn pope who looks to the past. He looks at the situation as it is and is capable of listening," Kueng, who only last April had described Joseph Ratzinger's election as "a disappointment" for reformists, told Rome-based daily La Repubblica.
(snip!)Kueng said he was able to have a constructive discussion at the pope's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, on two of the issues that most concern him: the relationship between science and religion and the role of the Roman Catholic Church in modern society.

"It is a sign of hope for many Catholics and for many people in the world that two so different people as we are nevertheless agreed on many things with regard to the future of the world," Kueng told the New York Times.

According to Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, "The pope appreciated professor Kueng's effort to contribute to a renewed recognition of the essential values of humanity through the dialogue of religions and the meeting with secular reason."

In other words, any effort to play the Fool before Reasonable men helps bring the kingdom closer to all, and the Pope appreciates that. If Kung has witnessed to the truth in spite of his dissident theology, then every Fool should applaud him for that.

Some may see the meeting as the inevitable capitulation of the Pope before the dying gasp of "Spirit of Vatican II" Ecclesial correctness. You won't find me among them. I see the meeting as one between a Pastor and his charge. Who can tell what good the Lord may draw from such a meeting of minds? Stay tuned!