Küng passed away in the German town of Tübingen, where he had lived and lectured since the 1960s, his Global Ethic FoundationExternal link announced on Tuesday.
He gained a reputation as a prolific writer, promoting dialogue among religions as well as challenging the Vatican, notably for his controversial views on papal infallibility.
Küng was one of the youngest theologians advising bishops at the Vatican Council in the 1960s. He lost his licence to teach at Catholic universities in 1979 over his frequent criticism on issues such as priestly celibacy, the church policy on governance, liturgy, birth control, abortion and mixed marriages as well as the ban on women priests.
Küng often expressed public support for the demands of grassroots organisations and called for more democracy in the church.
He later became professor of ecumenical theology in Tübingen until his retirement in 1996. Küng remained a Catholic priest and in 2011 he co-founded the Global Ethic Foundation.
He also held numerous honorary doctorates from universities in the United States and Britain, as well as awards and honours, notably the 1991 Swiss culture prize.
‘Idealist without illusions’
Church leaders and personalities in Switzerland and neighbouring Germany have paid tribute to Küng as a rebellious reformer, genuine, and of strong character.
His critics perceived him as brilliant, over-elaborate and disrespectful.
In its obituary the New York Times quoted Küng as saying he was “an idealist without illusions” and “I have not easy optimism, but serious hope”.
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Küng: “The economy needs a certain kind of morality”
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He recently spoke to swissinfo’s Jonathan Summerton about the role of a global ethic in business and politics. Küng is the author of several books including “A Global Ethic for Global Politics and Economics”. swissinfo: What is a global ethic? Hans Küng: It is not part of a new ideology or a superstructure imposed on…
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Pope Benedict XVI officially rehabilitated four members of the Valais-based Society of St Pius X on January 24. Among them was Richard Williamson, who has made statements denying the full extent of the Nazi Holocaust. Küng also criticises the Vatican for following a more conservative line under Pope Benedict. swissinfo: First Pope Benedict XVI lifted…
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Küng, who was barred from teaching by the Vatican in 1979 for questioning papal infallibility, said the successor of Pope John Paul II should draw his inspiration from the Gospels. In an open letter to the cardinals featured in the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung newspaper, Küng said that the next pope should not consider the church as…
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The laureate said he would use the prize, which is worth SFr224,000 ($192,275), for his Global Ethic Foundation. The award ceremony is to take place in Tokyo on May 11. The panel said the understanding and insight of the Catholic theologian were indispensable for peace in the world, notably in the Middle East, Iraq and…
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In an interview with swissinfo, Küng said humanity’s survival depended on the existence of a worldwide ethic and dialogue between religions. The 75-year-old theologian is to receive an award for his work in fostering interfaith dialogue at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, which runs until July 13 in Barcelona. Küng is the founder of…
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The findings come shortly after 40 prominent Swiss Catholics called on the Pontiff to step down, just ahead of next month’s visit to Switzerland. In the survey of 1,025 people, just 17 per cent said the Pope – who celebrated his 84th birthday last week – should remain in office. About 400 respondents were Catholics,…
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Professor Küng, who in a recent newspaper interview was strongly critical of the US-led air strikes on Afghanistan, joins a distinguished list of previous recipients of the award. They include the Dalai Lama, Kofi Annan and Vaclav Havel. Founded in 1993 by the Hungarian philosopher, Professor Ervin Laszlo, the Club of Budapest promotes the building…
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