OUR CATHOLIC HERITAGE:
Vatican II
This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vatican II. On October 11, 1962,
after nearly four years of preparation by the Roman Curia, a procession of Bishops
and Cardinals made their way through Vatican City into St. Peter’s Basilica, to
mark the opening of the Second Vatican Council. This council would have a
profound effect on the lives of Catholics worldwide.
The Second Vatican Council was the 21st council in church history and was so
named because it was the second council to be held at the Vatican. The Acts of the
Apostles records the church’s first official council; the Council of Jerusalem in 51
AD.
Pope John XXIII
In an address to several cardinals on 25 January 1959, Pope John XXIII announced his intention to assemble a Council as soon as
it was possible. Its task would be the completion of the work of the First Vatican Council, which had been suspended formally
by Pope Pius IX in October 1870, following the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war in July 1870 and the occupation of Rome by
the Italian state in September of that year. As with the First Vatican Council, this Vatican II was to deal with the contemporary
problems of the rising influence of rationalism, liberalism, and materialism, as well as to further define the Catholic doctrine
concerning the Church of Christ.
Vatican II would have three main aims: the better internal ordering of the Church; the promotion of world peace; and unity
among Christians. The Pope stated that the council “would be the means to open the windows of the Church to let in the fresh air
of the Holy Spirit,” and he further hoped that it would represent a new Pentecost.
The world was a much different place in the 1960’s than it is today. The world was divided and was in constant turmoil.
Communism was flourishing in Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall had been built and symbolically divided the free world from
the communist world. Revolution was common in many African, Asian, Central and South American nations as they gained their
independence. The U.S.A. was at war in Viet Nam and in 1963 President Kennedy was assassinated. The Catholic Church was
facing pressures from the world around it and from within. It was against this background that Pope John XXIII hoped to
revitalize the Catholic Church.
In total 2,860 Bishops from all over the world attended one or more of the Vatican II sessions. Of those who took part in the
council, four have become pontiffs to date: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini, who became Pope Paul VI; Bishop Albino
Luciani, the future Pope John Paul I; Bishop Karol Wojtyła, who became Pope John Paul II; and Father Joseph Ratzinger, who
was present as a theological consultant and became Pope Benedict XVI. Several communist countries refused to allow Bishops
to attend the council. Some Bishops living under repressive regimes were afraid that if they left their countries they would not be
allowed back in. As a result, at least 275 Bishops could not take part in the council. It also marked the first time that a large
number of non-Catholics (Protestants, Eastern Orthodox Christians and Jewish religious leaders) were invited to attend, as well
as women (lay and religious).
While Pope John XIII did not live to see the completion of the council, as he died on June 3 rd 1963, his successor Pope Paul VI
continued the work of the council, which closed on December 8, 1965. The council produced sixteen immensely inspirational
documents in all, with the impact of its teachings touching every aspect of contemporary Catholicism. One of the most novel
aspects of the council was the fact that it did not confine itself to theological, religious and disciplinary matters internal to
Catholicism. It deliberated on social issues, questions of war and peace, and justice in the world. Moreover it stretched out its
hand, not only to Catholics the world over, but it also sought better relations with Judaism, with people of others faiths and with
humanity in general.
The Catholic Church emerged from the Second Vatican Council with a new focus. The council developed and expanded upon 5
main themes for the Church:
The Church as a Sacrament – the Church is called to be a visible, communal sign of the renewing presence of God in
the world.
The Church as a People of God – The Church is first and foremost people. The Church is all of us, baptized in Christ.
The Church as Servant – The mission of the Church includes service to human needs – social, economic and political,
as well as the preaching of the word and the celebration of the sacraments.
The Church as Communion – there is a communion between God and ourselves, and a communion of ourselves with
one another, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Church as Ecumenical – embracing the whole wide world of
Christians.
Adapted from Vatican II (Scarboro Missions), January –February, 2012