Class 33: After Vatican II
Ann T. Orlando
12 April 2006
Introduction
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After Vatican II
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Paul VI
Sexual Ethics
Liberation Theology
John Paul II
Benedict XVI
Pope Paul VI (1963-1978)
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Closed Vatican II
First Pope to travel extensively
Building bridges to Orthodox faith
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Kiss of peace in Jerusalem with Patriarch
Lifted mutual excommunications of 1054
Humane Vitae
Humanae Vitae, 1968
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Pope Paul Vi rejects advice of commission
established by John XXIII to investigate artificial
birth control
Declares Church opposition to artificial birth control
Church has the duty and right to apply the natural
moral law
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Especially the Pope
Arguments against birth control are based on
Natural Law and God’s design of creation
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Not arguments that carry much weight post-Enlightenment
Liberation Theology
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Two forces to driving development
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Christian theological response to Holocaust
Latin American theology in opposition to traditional
Christian theology; opposed to ‘developmentalism’; that is
political change from within existing political institutions
Theodicy
In both cases, theology in response to political and
social circumstances
In both cases calls into question applicability of
‘traditional’ Christian theology
European Political Theology
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Johann Metz (1928 - )
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Student of Rahner
Political theology as fundamental; necessary to counter
Enlightenment
Opposed to ‘bourgeois’ religion; Church must identify itself
with suffering, especially in Third World
Must remember the suffering of holocaust
Jurgen Moltmann (1926 - )
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God is experienced in suffering;
God is with us when we suffer
God suffers
Emphasis on human freedom in how we handle suffering
Latin American Liberation Theology
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Gustavo Gutierrez (1928- )
 Radical political change tied theologically to realized eschatology
 Jesus’ mission in world to bring kingdom of God justifies radical
politics
 Church as sacrament in world; realized kingdom of God
Juan Segundo (1925-1997)
 Traditional Christian faith too intertwined with Western civilization
 Faith as an ideology
 Liberation of theology from Western norms
 Return to Scripture, without deformations of Western philosophy
John Paul II (1978-2005)
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Do you remember how stunned you were that a
Polish Cardinal had been elected??????
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Non-Italian
Cold War
Most traveled Pope in history
First Encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, 1979
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Looks forward to 2000
Modern man is afraid of his own achievements; progress or
threat?
Principle of solidarity; applied as moral principle to
economic progress
Veritatis Splendor, 1993
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Meditation on Mt 19:16, “Teacher, what good must I do to have
eternal life?”
Science and Technology do not free man from search for truth
about himself and God
 That search has a moral component that touches every aspect of
human life
Magisterium is crucial to properly forming individual conscious
Natural law is valid, permanent, universal
 Moral law is part of truth about man
Genuine freedom is found in our image and likeness to God
Freedom is dependent upon truth
The End of the Life of John Paul II
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Do you remember how one year ago the
entire world was fixated for two weeks on
John Paul II’s death and burial?
Can you explain the 24x7 media coverage?
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In terms of citations world-wide covering a 2 week
period; bigger story than 9/11
Benedict XVI
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Much more Augustinian than Thomistic
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Concerns about VII
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Democracy should be based on natural law and human dignity; not on notion that every
one’s opinion is equally valid
Christian faith opposed to relativism
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Peritus at VII
Does not sufficiently criticize Enlightenment
Seems to encourage Church to accommodate herself to Enlightenment
Although has issues with liberation theology; agrees with some of their criticisms of
contemporary Western culture
Relationship between relativism and democracy
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Reality of sin
Man’s ability alone cannot save him
Theology of Cross rather than Incarnation
“Only the truth makes us free.”
What is the Church? Kasper-Ratzinger debate
All that having been said
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DCE released on Christmas Day
All about Love
One Girl’s View: A Reflection from Aquinas
Applied to Contemporary Situation
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Aquinas was worried about ‘Dead Faith’ meaning everyone believed (or
said they did), but very few acted with charity. This, according to
Aquinas was faith that was dead and not a virtue; IIa IIae Q4 a4
I think the problem now is ‘Dead Love’; many people say they are
peaceful loving caring people but try to do this without the truth of faith.
This is love that is dead and not a virtue
Relation between Church and Individual Catholic
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Radical individualism, subjectivism, relativism
Need to understand what it means to form conscience
Pascal was right: many people live in present moment without considering
end of life
Relation between Church and Society
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Proper model for Church in world
Religious pluralism
Ethical use of science
Ethics in law; what is basis of justice?
Reduced image of Church, especially hierarchy, in North America and
Europe
Assignments
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Deus Caritas Est,
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xv
i/encyclicals/documents/hf_benxvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html
Kasper-Ratzinger debate in America
Magazine, 2001
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http://www.americamagazine.org/gettext.cfm?textI
D=1569&articleTypeID=1&issueID=333
http://www.americamagazine.org/gettext.cfm?artic
leTypeID=1&textID=1250&issueID=351
Quiz Review: Quiz Structure
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Wednesday, May 3 at 9:00 am
Similar format as midterm
Closed book, closed notes
Matching people and events with descriptions (25
pts)
Definitions (25 pts)
Match quotes from readings to authors (25 pts)
Two Essays (25 pts)
Definitions: One or Two Sentence Definitions
of Following (25 free points)
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Epistemology
Natural Law
Papal infallibility
Rerum Novarum
Romanticism
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Enlightenment
Theodicy
Theory of Evolution
Kulturkampf
Relativism
Quotes
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Will not be tricky
Five quotes, 8 authors
If you were paying attention during class and discussions, this should
not be hard
Do not feel like you must go back and carefully re-read everything
What were some of the most important things we read?
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John Locke, Letter on Toleration
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Danbury Baptist Society
St. Just, Republican Institute
Chateaubriand, Genius of Christianity
Pius IX, Syllabus of Errors
Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum
Guardini, Spirit of Liturgy
Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est
Quiz Essay Questions
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Another Free 25 Points; be prepared to respond to
these two questions
 Pick one: Pius IX, Leo XIII, Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius
XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II.
Describe their historical circumstances and how they
reacted to them.
 Describe how the relation between Church and State
has evolved since 1600
Answers must be very specific, with many names,
places, and thought as to how they relate.