"Reese is based in New York where the magazine is edited. He was in Rome for the election of Benedict, who had enforced a hard line on church doctrine and silenced theologians who diverged from it in his 24 years as Pope John Paul II's orthodoxy watchdog."
Happens all the time.
But as you point out, there are certain, ah, problem children who WILL NOT SHUT UP.
However, Kung is not allowed to say he is a "Catholic" theologian--because in effect, he's not.
BTW, Ratzinger only slapped up about 5 of them. Should have fried those 5 and slapped up about 25 more. But he's a nice guy.
How I wish some of these theologians were actually silenced. Instead they get columns in the New York Times. A priest's superior, whether his bishop or religious superior, can usually order a priest to remain silent on one thing or another. The only time I recall it happening recently was when Rev. James Burtchell(?) was ordered not to talk about the secularization of formerly religious universities both Catholic and Protestant, after he criticized the trend in his _Dying of the Light_. Frankly, such silencing is counterproductive with contemporary dissenting priests, since they won't even obey; only the upright ones would obey such an order.
Now that I think of it, the Jesuit Roger Haight might have been ordered not to teach his theories advanced in his incredibly heretical "Symbol of God" book. Don't remember if this was the case, or if he did in fact obey.