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The Second Vatican Council

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The Second Vatican Council The twenty-first ecumenical council of the Catholic Church was first announced by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959. He opened the council on October 11, 1962, and closed the first session on December 8 of the same year. After Pope John's death in 1963, his successor, Pope Paul VI, reconvened the council, which had three more sessions in the fall of each succeeding year. The closing session ended on December 8, 1965. A combined total of 2,865 bishops and prelates attended the council, which issued sixteen formal documents as follows: CONSTITUTIONS: 1. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) explained the Church's nature as a sign and instrument of communion with God and of unity among men. It also clarified the Church's mission as the universal sacrament of salvation. 2. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) distinguished Sacred Scripture from Sacred Tradition, declared that the Bible must be interpreted under the Church's guidance, and explained how development of doctrine is the Church's ever-deeper understanding of what God has once and for all revealed to the human race. 3. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium) sought to adapt more closely to the needs of our age those institutions which are subject to change, to foster Christian reunion, and to strengthen the Church's evangelization. 4. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) identifies atheism as one of the most serious problems of our times, gives the most extensive treatment of marriage and the family in conciliar history, and declares the Church's strong position on war and peace in the nuclear age. DECREES 5. Decree on the Media (Inter Mirifica) defined the modern means of communication as those which can reach not only single individuals but even the whole of human society. It declared that the content of the media must be true, and - within the limits of justice and charity - complete. 6. Decree on the Catholic Eastern Churches (Orientalium Ecclesiarum) encouraged Eastern Catholics to remain faithful to their ancient traditions, reassured them that their distinctive privileges would be respected, and urged closer ties with the separated Eastern churches, with a view to fostering Christian unity. 7. Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratia) made a careful distinction between spiritual ecumenism, mainly prayer and the practice of virtue, and practical ecumenism, which actively fosters Christian reunion. 8. Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops (Christus Dominus) urged bishops to cooperate with one another and with the Bishop of Rome and to decide on effective means for using the modern means of communication. 9. Decree on the Renewal of Religious Life (Perfectae Caritatis) set down norms for spiritual renewal and prudent adaptation, legislating community life under superiors, corporate prayer, poverty of sharing, distinctive religious habit, and continued spiritual and doctrinal education. 10. Decree on the Training of Priests (Optatam Totius) centered on fostering vocations, giving more attention to spiritual formation, preparing for pastoral work and developing priests with a filial attachment to the Vicar of Christ, and loyal cooperation with their bishops and fellow priests. 11. Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (Apostolicam Actuositatem) is a practical expression of the Church's mission, to which the laity are specially called in virtue of their Baptism and incorporation into Christ. It recognizes that the laity have the right to establish and direct their own associations, on the condition that they preserve the necessary link with ecclesiastical authority. 12. Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity (Ad Gentes Divinitus) defines evangelization as the implanting of the Church among peoples in which she has not yet taken root. It urges even the young churches to engage in evangelization as soon as possible and stresses the importance of adequate training of missionaries and their sanctity of life. 13. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests (Presbyterorum Ordinis) defines priests as men who are ordained to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice, forgive sins in Christ's name, and exercise the priestly office on behalf of others in the name of Christ. Priestly celibacy is reaffirmed, and priestly sanctity declared to be essential. DECLARATIONS 14. Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate) urged Catholics to enter, with prudence and charity, into discussion and collaboration with members of other religions. 15. Declaration on Religious Liberty (Dignitatis Humanae) affirms each person's liberty to believe in God and worship Him according to one's conscience and reaffirms the Catholic Church's revealed freedom for herself and before every public authority. 16. Declaration on Christian Education (Gravissimum Educationis) told all Christians that they have a right to a Christian education, reminded parents they have the primary right and duty to teach their children, and warned believers of the dangers of state monopoly in education. The best English translation of the documents of the Second Vatican Council is the one edited by Austin Flannery, O.P. In his introductory preface, Cardinal John Wright stated, "It is the collection of Council documents and their authentic interpretation that is indispensable for the serious student." Three of these additional documents flow from the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the World, further amplify it, and are, I believe, of particular importance. #1: The Decree on Ecumenism #2: The Declaration on the Relation of the Church with non‐Christian Religions (which was originally Chapter 4 of the Decree on Ecumenism) #3: The Declaration on Religious Freedom (which was originally Chapter 4 of the Decree on Ecumenism) Unitatis Redintegratio …is the Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism. It was passed by a vote of 2,137 to 11 of the bishops assembled and was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964. The title in Latin means "Restoration of Unity" and is from the first line of the decree, as is customary with major Catholic documents. Contents: The numbers given correspond to the section numbers within the text. 1.Introduction (1) 2.Catholic Principles on Ecumenism (2‐4) 3.The Practice of Ecumenism (5‐12) 4.Churches and Ecclesial Communities Separated from the Roman Apostolic See (13‐24) 1.The Special Consideration of the Eastern Churches (14‐18) 2.Separated Churches and Ecclesial Communities in the West (19‐24) Policy on the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Unitatis Redintegratio calls for the reunion of Christendom and so it is not terribly different from previous calls for unity by Pope Leo XIII in the 1894 encyclical Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae. However, the document articulates a different kind of ecclesiology than Praeclara, focusing on the unity of the people of God and on separate Christian brethren instead of a classical call for schismatics to return to the fold under the unity of the Vicar of Christ. Reformation communities The document acknowledges that there are serious problems facing prospects of reunion with Reformation communities that make no attempt to claim apostolic succession such as the Anglican communion does. Ecclesial communities that adhere to calvinism are a particular case because they often have important doctrinal differences on key issues such as ecclesiology, liturgy and mariology. Other communities have insoluble doctrinal differences with Catholic Christianity because their theology of the Holy Trinity is manifestly incompatible with the doctrine of the council of Nicea in the early Church. That these serious problems are a barrier to salvation is clarified in the 2004 Vatican document, "The Decree on Ecumenism, Read Anew after Forty Years". Separated brethren First officially used by the Roman Catholic Church in the Unitatis Redintegratio, "Separated brethren" is a term sometimes used by the Roman Catholic Church and its clergy and members to refer to baptized members of other Christian traditions. Though also applied to Christians of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, the term is more often used about Protestants and Anglicans] The phrase is a translation of the Latin phrase fratres seiuncti. Before the Second Vatican Council, per the pronouncements of the Council of Trent, the Roman Catholic Church officially referred to Protestants and other non‐Roman Catholic Christians as "heretics" not having hope of salvation outside of the "Church of Rome". After the Second Vatican Council, however, "that habit of unthinkingly hurling accusations of heresy at Protestants pretty much died out". Since at least the mid‐1990s, the term has often been replaced by Roman Catholic officials with phrases such as "other Christians". At least one Roman Catholic writer does not consider Mormons and members of some other religious groups to be separated brethren.[6] Among the groups not considered to be separated brethren are "Jews, Mormons, Christian Scientists, Muslims, Buddhists, and other groups." History of this Document: This document was first presented to the Fathers of the Council by Cardinal Bea during the Second Session of the Council, containing five chapters. There was much heated debate about its content – especially about the radical shift the council seemed to be taking considering the past church’s position on the issue of how to treat, relate and understand the Church vis‐à‐vis other religions. In the end Chapters 1‐3 were debated and passed. However there was not enough time to even begin discussing chapter 4, “On the Jews” and Chapter 5, “On Religious Liberty”. During the intersession it was completely rewritten. It was re‐introduced during the Third Session of the Council, but with still further objections from the “conservative” party. Their objections included: 1. Christ founded only one church, the Roman Catholic Church. Others are therefore invalid. 2. Faults cannot be attributed to the Church itself, but only to its members.
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