Vatican II Council

It is commonly known as the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II, addressed relations
between the Catholic Church and the modern world. The council, through the Holy See,
was formally opened under the pontificate of Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and
was closed under Pope Paul VI on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on 8
December 1965.

Several changes resulted from the council, including the renewal of consecrated
life with a revised charism, ecumenical efforts towards dialogue with other religions,
and the universal call to holiness, which according to Pope Paul VI was "the most
characteristic and ultimate purpose of the teachings of the Council".

According to Pope Benedict XVI, the most important and essential message of the
council is "the Paschal Mystery as the center of what it is to be Christian and therefore
of the Christian life, the Christian year, the Christian seasons". Other changes which
followed the council included the widespread use of vernacular languages in
the Mass instead of Latin, the subtle disuse of ornate clerical regalia, the revision
of Eucharistic (liturgical) prayers, the abbreviation of the liturgical calendar, the ability
to celebrate the Mass versus populum (with the officiant facing the congregation), as
well as ad orientem (facing the "East" and the Crucifix), and modern aesthetic changes
encompassing contemporary Catholic liturgical music and artwork. Many of these
changes remain divisive among the Catholic faithful.

VATICAN II, which has been rightly described as the most important religious event of
the 20th century, began 50 years ago today in St. Peter’s Basilica. Over three years,
from 1962 to 1965, some 2,800 bishops from 116 countries produced 16
documents that set the Roman Catholic Church’s course for the future. Its proceedings
were closely followed in the media, bringing the church into the homes of hundreds of
millions of ordinary Catholics on nearly a daily basis.

An increasingly popular view, at least among critics, is that the Second Vatican Council
failed to put the church’s house in order. Its most radical inward move was not to
democratize the church (though it has often been described that way) but to reinstate
an older, more collegial style in church governance. Under the council’s version of this
teaching, known as collegiality, the papacy had the final word, but others in the church,
from the bishops to the priests and the laity, had a voice, too.

The celebration of the council constituted a great event for all Christianity. The
presence of non-Catholic observers and their collaboration through questions and
observations contributed by introducing an ecumenical dimension to the conciliar
documents. As such, the occurrence of the council was for all churches, during those
years, a sign of hope. It made manifest the possibility that a Church would begin and
bring to a good conclusion, in a certain sense, a general updating and reform. It also
made for an admirable example of the concilar character of the Church. The concept of
"council" was actualized, again, as much in the Orthodox churches as in the whole
ecumenical movement.
 History of Vatican II Council
Vatican II was an ecumenical council that took place in Vatican City from October 11,
1962, until December 8, 1965. This council represents a major event in the life of the
Church of the 20th century, and for this reason it constitutes a fundamental era in
universal history. It came to be the conclusion of the Tridentine period and the
beginning of a new phase in the history of the Church. This is due to the prophetic
action of Bl. John XXIII who perceived the need for a council that would positively mark
the new phase of the Church's evangelizing mission and to the undisputed personality
of Paul VI who had the courage to have brought it to its conclusion and to have forged
the first steps of reform.

It is summoned by Pope John XXIII on Christmas day 1961, began in October 1962.
Meeting in four autumn sessions from 1962 to 1965, Pope Johns Council was a
watershed in both world Christian and world religious history.

With brevity and insight Giuseppe Alberigo tells the story of Vatican II Council for a
generation that has come of age since its close. He shows us a Council that Pope John
called to renew not just the church but Christianity as a whole. He shows that that
vision was realized in ways far beyond its participants ability to understand.

The drama of the Council comes alive, as the assembled bishops and their advisers
work on themes that transformed the global landscape of religion, bringing Catholicism
into dialogue with other religious traditions and establishing a whole new spirit of intra-
Christian dialogue. Alberigo also suggests ways in which the spirit of the Council has not
been implemented.
From January 25, 1959, in the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls, a double
movement was initiated: on one hand direct preparation for the council began,
accomplished above all by the Roman Curia; on the other, the separation of diverse
eccesial experiences that tended toward a strong renewal of the life of the Church. A
look at preconciliar history clearly reveals the existence of a strong conservative block;
different factors testify to it; we can recall in particular: the concentration of the Curia
and the vacant office of the Secretary of State that Pius XII always held; the different
condemnations of several theological renovations; the prohibition against teaching what
was held by different valuable professors, like H. de Lubac, Y. Congar, Teilhard de
Chardin..., after the publication of Humani Generis. Different factors already suggested
the change that soon become reality; the socio-cultural context already showed the
signs of an irreversible industrialization: the countries of the Third World assumed an
identity that they had never before had and colonialism was reaching its end; in a word:
society was fearfully and something was being conceived that would modify more than
just civil life.

There were also signs within the Church that signaled change: the ecumenical
movement continued to grow with a strong consciousness of creating authentic spaces
for encounter and dialogue; the laity assumed an appearance of authentic ecclesial
maturity; the theological context seemed to be sustained by an investigation that
returned to the genuine sources of Scripture and the Fathers. The preparatory
commission was presided over by Cardinal Tardini; the Secretary General of the council
was Bishop Pericles Felici; the material for discussion was prepared by ten commissions
composed of various theologians from the Curia and was set out in 70 schema. The
majority of the people involved in the preparation of the Council began with the
assurance that it would conclude in a few months; unfortunately, these presentiments
were inaccurate. In three years of intense work, the council rejected a great part of the
preparatory material and formulated some documents that restored an authentically
Evangelical horizon to the Church. There were 2,540 bishops present at the Council,
coming from every continent, as were at least 480 theologians - "peritos" and auditors -
, thus as representatives of reform and orthodoxy. This representation manifested the
new expressions of dialogue that had been codified in the documents themselves.
Vatican II, a point of change for the pontificate of Bl. John XXIII revolutionized the
position of the Catholic Church regarding the ecumenical movement. The ecumenical
concern was, in the mind of Pope John XXIII, one of the principle stimuli that had
brought him to announce his intention to call a council "to manifest, to a greater
degree, our love and benevolence toward those who call themselves Christians but are
separated from the Apostolic See, so that they also can closely follow the works of the
council and thus more easily find the way to achieve unity for which Jesus directs to the
Heavenly Father such an ardent plea."
 16 Approved Documents of Vatican II Council
Here are the 16 documents approved by the Second Vatican Council, which ran from
Oct. 11, 1962, to Dec. 8, 1965, and their dates of promulgation:

1. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy ("Sacrosanctum Concilium"), Dec. 4, 1963. It

ordered an extensive revision of worship so that people would have a clearer sense of
their own involvement in the Mass and other rites.

2. Decree on the Instruments of Social Communication ("Inter Mirifica"), Dec. 4, 1963.

It called on members of the church, especially the laity, to instill "a human and Christian
spirit" into newspapers, magazines, books, films, radio and television.

3. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church ("Lumen Gentium"), Nov. 21, 1964. It

presented the church as a mystery, as a communion of baptized believers, as the
people of God, as the body of Christ and as a pilgrim moving toward fulfillment in
heaven but marked on earth with "a sanctity that is real, although imperfect."

4. Decree on Ecumenism ("Unitatis Redintegratio"), Nov. 21, 1964. It said that

ecumenism should be everyone's concern and that genuine ecumenism involves a
continual personal and institutional renewal.

5. Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches ("Orientalium Ecclesiarum"), Nov. 21, 1964. It

stated that variety within the church does not harm its unity and that Eastern Catholic
churches should retain their own traditions.
6. Decree on the Bishops' Pastoral Office in the Church ("Christus Dominus"), Oct. 28,
1965. It said each bishop has full ordinary power in his own diocese and is expected to
present Christian doctrine in ways adapted to the times. It urged conferences of
bishops to exercise pastoral direction jointly.

7. Decree on Priestly Formation ("Optatam Totius"), Oct. 28, 1965. It recommended

that seminaries pay attention to the spiritual, intellectual and disciplinary formation
necessary to prepare priesthood students to become good pastors.

8. Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of the Religious Life ("Perfectae Caritatis"), Oct.
28, 1965. It provided guidelines for the personal and institutional renewal of the lives of
nuns, brothers and priests belonging to religious orders.

9. Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions ("Nostra

Aetate"), Oct. 28, 1965. It said the Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy
in non-Christian religions, called for an end to anti-Semitism and said any discrimination
based on race, color, religion or condition of life is foreign to the mind of Christ.

10. Declaration on Christian Education ("Gravissimum Educationis"), Oct. 28, 1965. It

affirmed the right of parents to choose the type of education they want for their
children, upheld the importance of Catholic schools and defended freedom of inquiry in
Catholic colleges and universities.

11. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation ("Dei Verbum"), Nov. 18, 1965. It said
the church depends on Scripture and tradition as the one deposit of God's word and
commended the use of modern scientific scholarship in studying Scripture.
12. Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity ("Apostolicam Actuositatem"), Nov. 18, 1965.
It said the laity should influence their surroundings with Christ's teachings.

13. Declaration on Religious Freedom ("Dignitatis Humanae"), Dec. 7, 1965. It said that
religious liberty is a right found in the dignity of each person and that no one should be
forced to act in a way contrary to his or her own beliefs.

14. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests ("Presbyterorum Ordinis"), Dec. 7, 1965.
It said the primary duty of priests is to proclaim the Gospel to all, approved and
encouraged celibacy as a gift and recommended fair salaries.

15. Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity ("Ad Gentes"), Dec. 7, 1965. It said
missionary activity should help the social and economic welfare of people and not force
anyone to accept the faith.

16. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World ("Gaudium et Spes"), Dec.
7, 1965. It said the church must talk to atheists, a continual campaign must be waged
for peace, nuclear war is unthinkable and aid to underdeveloped nations is urgent. It
said marriage was not just for procreation and urged science to find an acceptable
means of birth regulation.
References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vatican_Council

http://www.vatican.va/jubilee_2000/magazine/documents/ju_mag_01051997_p-21_en.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/opinion/vatican-ii-opened-the-church-to-the-world.html

https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2012/second-vatican-council-approved-16-documents.cfm

https://www.creighton.edu/vaticanii/historicalbackgroundofvaticanii/