Book excerpt: The second volume of riveting memoirs from Hans Kung, the leading - and controversial - theologian. Hans Küng has been a major influence on post-war Christianity by any reckoning. A peritus for the second Vatican council, he then went on to publish a number of controversial books, including Infallible? An Enquiry (1971), which enraged the Vatican and caused him to lose the ecclesiastical approval of his teaching at the university of Tübingen. However, he remains a respected priest in good standing with his bishop. Throughout all the upheavals that the Catholic Church has undergone in recent decades, Küng has been an outspoken observer, turning himself from enfant terrible to béte noire. However his world influence has been great. Whether speaking at the United Nations or consorting with politicians and religious leaders, he is always listened to with respect and enthusiasm. A string of recent books has added to his reputation-notably On Being a Christian (1974) and Does God Exist? An Answer for Today (1980) What is not so well known is that, as a young man, Küng was a close friend and confidant of Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI). Over the years, however, they increasingly came to represent exactly what the other most despised. On being appointed to the Holy See, Ratzinger had a long private meeting with Küng , the consequences of which may resonate within the Catholic Church for many years. In these thrilling memoirs Küng gives his personal account of all these struggles and ambitions. The result is a book of major importance for any student of the church in the 20th century. This second volume covers the period following the close of the Second Vatican Council right up to the present day.