Daily Inspiration Quote by Hans Kung

A single line, sharpened like a stylus: Hans Kung uses "the Roman way" less as geography than as a code word for a governing instinct - an institution protecting itself by rewarding proximity. The phrasing is deceptively simple, almost tautological ("favors to the favorites"), and that is part of its bite. By making patronage sound like common sense, he exposes how easily it passes for tradition.

Kung, the Catholic theologian who spent decades critiquing the Vatican's centralized power and lack of accountability, is almost certainly invoking "Rome" as shorthand for the Curia: the bureaucracy that can turn doctrine into discipline and career advancement into compliance. In that light, "favors" aren't merely perks; they're the quiet machinery of control - appointments, permissions, access, immunity from scrutiny. The "favorites" aren't just friends; they're the reliable ones, those who won't embarrass the system.

The intent is not to moralize about individual corruption but to describe a structural habit: patronage as policy. Calling it "Roman" adds historical resonance. It gestures to the ancient empire's networks of clients and benefactors, then lets the modern Church feel the uncomfortable echo. Kung's subtext is that reform can't be won by better manners or nicer leaders; it requires dismantling the incentives that make loyalty more valuable than truth.

There's also a cool, cynical clarity here: institutions rarely announce their real criteria. Kung does, and by doing so he turns an internal logic into an accusation the public can recognize.