Klaus Küng

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Bishop Klaus Küng (2010)
Episcopal coat of arms

Klaus Küng (born September 17, 1940 in Bregenz , Vorarlberg ) is an Austrian clergyman and Roman Catholic bishop . From 1989 to 2004 he was bishop of the diocese of Feldkirch and from 2004 to 2018 bishop of the diocese of St. Pölten .

Life

Klaus Küng, the youngest of four children of city doctor Josef Küng and Renelde Küng, spent his youth in Feldkirch . He graduated from the Bundesgymnasium Feldkirch in 1958, among others with Erwin Kräutler , and initially studied medicine at the Leopold-Franzens University Innsbruck and the University of Vienna , where he received his PhD in 1964. med. received his doctorate .

In Vienna he got to know the Catholic organization Opus Dei , a personal prelature of the Roman Catholic Church , to which mainly lay people belong. In 1961 or at the age of 22 he joined Opus Dei as a numerarian ( celibate member). After completing his doctorate , Küng worked as a secondary doctor in the Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Spital and as head of the newly built Opus-Dei student residence in Birkenbrunn in the 19th district of Vienna. From 1965 to 1969 he studied Catholic theology at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome and was with the work "The sacramental mystery at Mathias Joseph Scheeben " to Dr. theol. PhD. In 1969 he was a doctor at the IV. Medical Department of the State Hospital Graz and built up the Opus Dei there in the city. Klaus Küng received on August 23, 1970 in Madrid the priesthood and served as chaplain in Vienna Peter Church operates. From 1976 to 1989 he was the regional vicar of Opus Dei Austria.

On December 22, 1986 the "Vorarlberger Nachrichten" reported that Pope John Paul II would appoint regional vicar Klaus Küng as bishop of Feldkirch. Vatican Radio confirmed. The council of priests and the leadership of the diocese saw themselves betrayed. Kiing had said before that he didn't know anything. The Vatican waited more than two years for the waves to calm down a little. On January 21, 1989, he finally announced Küng's appointment. The episcopal ordination in Feldkirch gave him his predecessor Bruno Wechner on March 5, 1989; Co- consecrators were Georg Eder , Archbishop of Salzburg , and Reinhold Stecher , Bishop of Innsbruck . On the day before the episcopal ordination there was a silent march with 5000 participants. In January 1990, the Vorarlberg action group "Church we are all" , which had become known "through protest actions against the appointment of Klaus Küng as Bishop of Feldkirch", called on people to stop paying the church fee to the diocese of Feldkirch . It should be rededicated to other ecclesiastical institutions such as the parish : one is no longer ready to "support those officials who want a rule and a prohibition church". As Bishop of Feldkirch, Küng u. a. Sympathies for the Engelwerk and accepted its member Norbert Tscholl into the diocese. Küng's episcopal motto is “Serviam” (German: I want to serve).

On July 20, 2004, he was appointed Apostolic Visitator in the diocese of St. Pölten to clarify the situation in the diocese and in the seminary after allegations of child pornography and practiced homosexuality became known. On October 7th, 2004 Küng was appointed Bishop of St. Pölten by Pope John Paul II and thus as successor to Bishop Kurt Krenn . The solemn inauguration of Bishop Küng took place on November 28, 2004. On January 28, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI confirmed the church sentences imposed by Bishop Küng on the former seminar trainers Ulrich Küchl and Rothe and all pastoral precautionary measures taken definitely.

Bishop Küng is a member of the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy and Consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Family .

He is considered a staunch opponent of active euthanasia , abortion and contraception , but also as a "family bishop". As such, he initiated the House Church movement and founded the Christian Family Initiative . Since 2004 he has been the chairman of the finance commission of the Austrian Bishops' Conference .

His resignation "nunc pro tunc" ("now for later") submitted on his 75th birthday was accepted by Pope Francis in December 2015 and at the same time extended his term of office by one year. On May 17, 2018, the Pope accepted his age-related resignation and appointed the previous Bishop of Gurk-Klagenfurt , Alois Schwarz , as Küng's successor.

In 2019, the Munich priest Wolfgang F. Rothe Küng accused him of attempted sexual assault against himself in 2004, prior to which Küng had given him a sedative from the benzodiazepine group . Küng rejected the allegations and stated that he reserved the right to take legal action against untruthful allegations. The criminal investigations against Küng were suspended in 2019 due to the statute of limitations, and in 2020 the accusations were forwarded to the Vatican Congregation for Bishops for ecclesiastical review .

Honors, awards and memberships

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 1959 annual report of the BG Feldkirch, page 15 ( Memento from January 7, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 3.5 MB), accessed on March 12, 2011
  2. ↑ a b c Roberto Talotta: Portrait of Klaus Küng. In: Ö1 lunch journal . ORF , January 17, 1989, accessed on November 4, 2017 (still audible on the homepage of the Austrian media library).
  3. ↑ a b CV. In: dsp.at. Diocese of St. Pölten, accessed on November 4, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Feldkircher Klaus Küng becomes the new regional bishop, in: Vorarlberger Nachrichten, Bregenz. No. 295, December 22, 1986. p. 1
  5. ^ GDR. Küng knows nothing of an appointment as Bishop of Vorarlberg, in: Neue Vorarlberger Tageszeitung, Bregenz, No. 296, December 23, 1986, p, 4
  6. ↑ Peter Hertel: "I promise you heaven". Spiritual claim, social goals and ecclesiastical significance of Opus Dei . 4th edition. Patmos, Düsseldorf 1991, ISBN 3-491-77804-2 , p. 184 f .
  7. ↑ No church tax for the diocese ?, in: Salzburger Nachrichten, No. 8, January 11, 1990
  8. ^ Church contribution: Diocese should allow alternatives, in: Neue Vorarlberger Tageszeitung, Bregenz, No. 8, January 11, 1990, p. 9
  9. ↑ Heiner Boberski : The angel work. Theory and Practice of Opus Angelorum. Otto Müller Verlag, Salzburg 1993, pages 250 and 229. ISBN 3701308543
  10. ^ Bishop Küng: "A people with a future needs children" , Die Presse, August 29, 2009
  11. ↑ Bishop Küng: “Every abortion is a wound” , kathweb / Die Presse, August 28, 2009
  12. ↑ orf.at: Bishop Küng submits his resignation . Website orf.at. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  13. ↑ The term of office of the Bishop of St. Pölten extended by one year - religion.ORF.at . Website orf.at. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  14. ↑ Alois Schwarz becomes the new bishop of St. Pölten. Austrian Broadcasting on May 17, 2018
  15. ^ Rinuncia del Vescovo di Sankt Pölten (Austria) e nomina del successore. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office , May 17, 2018, accessed May 17, 2018 (Italian).
  16. ^ Bishop Küng rejects allegations of sexual assault. ORF from January 25, 2020
  17. ^ Bishop Küng rejects allegations of sexual assault. kath.net from January 26, 2020
  18. ↑ Michaela Reibenwein: An "ominous evening": allegations against former Bishop Küng. Courier from January 25, 2020
  19. ^ Allegations of abuse against former Bishop Küng, who denied it. The standard of January 26, 2020
  20. ↑ List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB)
  21. ↑ Memorial plaque on house 3100 St. Pölten, Schreinergasse 3
predecessor Office successor
Bruno Wechner Bishop of Feldkirch
1989-2004 		Elmar Fischer
Kurt Krenn Bishop of St. Pölten
2004–2018 		Alois Schwarz
personal data
SURNAME Küng, Klaus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian clergyman, emeritus Roman Catholic bishop of St. Pölten
DATE OF BIRTH 17th September 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Bregenz , Austria