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Second Vatican Council

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The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical council of the Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965.

It redefined church sacraments, permitted the use of vernacular languages for the Mass, and appointed a commission to implement such a transition. It has been widely accepted by Catholics worldwide, but not without some opposition.

Background

The First Council

The First Vatican Council had been held nearly a century before, but had been cut short by the effects of the Franco-Prussian War. As a result, only deliberations on the role of the Papacy were completed, with needed examination of pastoral and dogmatic issues concerning the whole Church left undone.

The Theologians

At the turn of the century, the attempt of theologians such as Alfred Loisy in France and George Tyrrell in England tried to re-interpret Christianity in the light of philosophers such as Kant and Hegel. Known as Modernism, this approach (in its more extreme form) was condemmed as heresy by Pope Pius X in 1907. There followed an over-reaction against Modernism that attempted to force all teaching into a strict form of Thomism and biblical literacy, a reaction that began to wane well into the 20th century. By the 1950's there were theological movements trying to recast Catholicism in modern terms, as well as to rediscover the roots of the Christian faith.

The Bishops

By the 1950's, most of the world was served by native bishops, often facing tremendous challenges driven by political, social, economic and technical change.

The Pope

Pope John XXIII

Sessions

Preparations for the Council, which took more than two years, included work from 10 specialized comissions, along with secretariats for mass media and Christian Unity, and a Central Comission for overall coordination. These groups, made up mostly of members of the Roman Curia, produced 73 proposed consitutions and decrees (known as schema) intended for consideration by the Council. It was expected that these groups would be succeeded by similarly constituted commissions during the Council itself that would carry out the main work of drafting and reviewing proposals before presentaion to the Council as a whole for review and expected approval

The general sessions of the Council were held in the fall of four sucessive years (in four periods) 1962-1965. During the rest of the year special commissions met to review and collate the work of the bishops and to prepare for the next period. Sessions were to held in Latin, in St. Peter's Basilica , with secrecy kept as to discussions held and opinions expressed. Speeches (called interventions) were limited to 10 minuites. Much of the work of the Council, though went on in a variety of other commission meetings (which could be held in other languages), as well as diverse informal meetings and social contacts outside of the Council proper.

2,908 persons (referred to as Council Fathers) were entitled to a seat at the Council. This included all bishops, as well as many superiors of male religious orders. 2,540 took part in the opening session, making it the largest gathering in any council in church history. Attendance varied in later sessions from 2,100 to over 2,300. 17 Orthodox and Protestant denominations were represented by observers.

First Period (October 11 to December 8, 1962)

The Council formally opened in a public session which included the Council Fathers as well as representatives of 86 governments and international bodies. In the first general session, the bishops voted to not proceed as planned by the curial preparatory commissions, but to first consult among themselves, both in national and regional groups, as well as in more informal gatherings. This resulted in a reworking of the structure of the Council commissions, as well as changing the priority of issues considered.

Issues considered during the sessions included liturgy, mass communications, the Eastern Rite churches, and the nature of revelation. Most notably, the schema on revelation was rejected by a majority of bishops, and Pope John intervened to require its rewriting.

After adjournment, work began on preparations for the sessions scheduled for 1963. However these halted after the death of Pope John XXIII on June 3. 1963. Pope Paul VI was elected on June 22, 1963, and immediately announced that the council would continue.

Second Period (September 29 to December 4, 1963)

Pope Paul's opeining address stressed the pastoral nature of the Council, and set out four purposes for it:

  • to more fully define the nature of the Church, and the role of the bishop;
  • to renew the Church;
  • to restore unity among all Christians, including seeking pardon for Catholic contributions to separation;
  • to start a dialog with the contemporary world.

Third Period (September 14 to November 21, 1964)

Fourth Period (September 14 to December 8, 1965)

Issues

  • Liturgy
  • Scripture and Divine Revelation
  • The Church -- Clergy, Religious and Laity
  • The Eastern Churches
  • Religious Education and Missions
  • Ecumenism, Judiasm, Religious Freedom
  • The Church and the Modern World

Documents

The complete text of its 16 documents are available online. Vatican II

  • Dogmatic Constitution on the Church - Lumen Gentium
  • Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation - Dei Verbum
  • Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy - Sacrosanctum Concilium
  • Pastoral Constitution: On the Church in the Modern World - Gaudium et Spes
  • Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life - Perfectae Caritatis
  • Declaration on Religious Freedom - Dignitatis Humanae
  • Guidelines on Religious Relations with the Jews
  • Declaration on Christian Education - Gravissimum Educationis
  • Decree on Priestly Training - Optatam Totius
  • Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People - Apostolicam Actuositatem
  • Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church - Christus Dominus
  • Decree on Ecumenism - Unitatis Redintegratio
  • Decree on the Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite - Orientalium Ecclesiarum
  • Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church - Ad Gentes
  • Decree on the Means of Social Communication - Inter Mirifica
  • Apostolic Brief - In Spiritu Sancto

Aftermath

Catholicism traditionally taught that "there is no salvation outside the Church", which thus denied salvation to non-Catholic Christians as well as non-Christians; Catholicism revisited this position in Vatican II, which said that "the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator", thus potentially extending salvation to other monotheistic faiths. Vatican II further affirmed that salvation was available to people who had not even heard of Christ.

However, later official Vatican position papers have led some to question the Church's commitment to ecumenism. The current Pope has personally endorsed a document called "Dominus Iesus", published in August 2000, by Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It has been ratified and confirmed by Pope John Paul II "with sure knowledge and by his apostolic authority." This document states that people outside of Christianity are "gravely deficient" in their relationship to God, and that non-Catholic Christian communities had "defects". Jewish and Muslim groups have expressed distress at this disparagement of their faiths.

In response to these criticisms, Pope John Paul II on October 2 of that year emphasized that this document did not say that non-Christians were denied salvation: "this confession does not deny salvation to non-Christians, but points to its ultimate source in Christ, in whom man and God are united". The pope then, on December 6, issued a statement to further emphasize that the Church continued to support the position of Vatican II that salvation was available to believers of other faiths: "The gospel teaches us that those who live in accordance with the Beatitudes--the poor in spirit, the pure of heart, those who bear lovingly the sufferings of life--will enter God's kingdom." He further added, "All who seek God with a sincere heart, including those who do not know Christ and his church, contribute under the influence of grace to the building of this kingdom," he said.

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