Roman Catholicism's leading rebel theologian, Hans Kueng, has joined a growing number of voices calling on Pope John Paul to resign for the good of the Church. The blunt Swiss 76-year-old told Germany's ARD television on Thursday: "A Pope can resign for the need and necessity of the Church. I think this instance has now arisen - he must resign for the need and necessity of the Church."
The Pope, in the 27th year of his reign, was rushed to a Rome hospital on February 1 with acute breathing problems caused by the flu. He has since recovered and will leave hospital later on Thursday, the Vatican said.
"We cannot go on as we are," added Kueng, a priest who was banned by the Vatican from teaching Catholic theology in 1979 after challenging papal infallibility.
The Catholic Church has become "as decrepit as the present Pope", he said.
The sudden deterioration of the 84-year-old Polish Pontiff has sparked renewed calls for his resignation and cranked up the succession rumour mill.
Speculation reached fever pitch on Monday when the Pope's top aide, Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, spoke openly about the possibility that the Pontiff might eventually resign if he felt he could no longer run the Church.
Kueng said a resignation could carry certain risks, for example that as long as the Pope was alive certain people would try and act using his authority, but he added he did not think the Church was facing a split.
"At most we have the problem of trying to find a successor who can lead us out of this miserable crisis, which the Pope has led us into behind a shining facade."
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