Vatican II
Vatican II, formally known as the Second Vatican Council, was an ecumenical council convened by Pope John XXIII in 1962 with the aim of spiritual renewal and unification within the Church and with other Christian denominations. It was prompted by a perceived spiritual crisis within the Church, influenced by advancements in science, technology, and increasing secularization. The council took place over four sessions until 1965, resulting in the adoption of sixteen significant documents that reshaped the Church's approach to ministry, worship, and relations with other faiths.
One of the most notable changes was the shift from Latin to local languages in Mass, which aimed to enhance participation among laypeople, who were also encouraged to engage in various roles within the Church. Vatican II emphasized the concept of collegiality, asserting that the authority of bishops is integral to Church governance, while promoting the dignity and vocation of every member of the Church community. Furthermore, the council fostered interfaith dialogue, recognizing the presence of truth in other religious traditions, but maintained the call for Catholics to proclaim Christ as central to salvation.
The impact of Vatican II has been significant, leading to a widening divide within the Church between traditionalists and progressives regarding the interpretation and implementation of its reforms. Supporters view it as a turning point towards a more inclusive and global Church, while critics express concerns over potential departures from established traditions.
Vatican II
Date: October 11, 1962-December 8, 1965
The twenty-first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. Seeking to bring the Church up to date, it modernized worship, opened dialogue with other religions, and engaged the church in society.
Origins and History
The newly elected Pope John XXIII called for an ecumenical council to spiritually renew the church and open the way for its unification with all Christians. He said that developments in science and technology, the effects of economic prosperity, and the growing secularization of society had created a spiritual crisis. The solution lay not in renewed condemnation of errors but in applying “the medicine of mercy.” His conciliatory attitude set the tone for the conference.
The Council
More than twenty-five hundred people attended the opening session of the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962. By the council’s end, twenty-eight non-Roman Catholic churches had participated, though without speaking or voting rights. The council adopted sixteen documents during its annual autumn sessions, finishing on December 8, 1965, under the leadership of Pope Paul VI.
The council acknowledged the first Vatican council’s affirmation of papal infallibility but added that infallibility also resides in the body of bishops when they exercise doctrinal authority along with the pope. It thus affirmed collegiality, the principle that the bishops as a group continue the authority of the apostles. In addition, although the traditional emphasis had been on the role of the clergy, the council stated that laypeople are called to holiness and missionary service through their various vocations. For the first time, laypeople were allowed to participate in the Mass and encouraged to read the Bible functions traditionally reserved for clergy. The council, instead of viewing the church as a hierarchy, saw it as a community of the people of God, with each person having an appropriate, not subordinate, role.
Perhaps the most visible change was the introduction of parish worship in local languages instead of Latin. New levels of participation and respect were granted to non-Western cultures. Church unity was seen as sustainable through a degree of diversity not only by centrally imposed uniformity.
Before the Second Vatican Council, the principle influence on the church was the Council of Trent (1545-1563), held in an era of reaction to the Protestant Reformation. Vatican II abandoned the earlier defensive posture and adopted a conciliatory attitude that sought to reunite the Church with what it had come to consider separated brethren rather than heretics and schismatics. As part of this process, the long-standing opposition to interfaith dialog was reversed, and other Christian groups were seen as possessing elements of the one true church. Religious liberty was also affirmed. However, although the council acknowledged some truth and goodness in other religions, it called upon Catholics to proclaim Christ as the lord and savior of all humanity.
As it had since the late nineteenth century, the Church joined its proclamation to global social concerns by addressing, among other things, governmental roles, economics, and labor issues. The Second Vatican Council emphasized the dignity of humans as bearers of the image of God, proclaiming the need for freedom, affirming equality as the foundation for social justice, and avowing that people and societies are interdependent.
Impact
The council widened a rift in the church between traditionalists, who wanted it to merely clarify traditional teaching, and progressives, who wanted nothing less than a complete restructuring of the Church. Critics of the council saw in its documents inconsistencies resulting from the clash between the opposing sides. In the years following the conference, traditionalists feared the Church was drifting from its cherished heritage, and progressives called on the Church to remain true to the reforms it began. Supporters of the council hailed it as opening a new era of a truly global church.
Additional Information
R. F. Trisco’s article, “Vatican Council II,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967) gives an overview, and Documents of Vatican II (1975), edited by Austin P. Flannery, provides the council’s texts.