PRECONCILIAR VOTA and THEIR BACKGROUND 1. The
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
CHAPTER ONE PRECONCILIAR VOTA AND THEIR BACKGROUND 1. Th e Antepreparatory Vota Post recitationem epistulae ex parte Commissionis Antepraeparatoriae Concilii receptae, E. Decanus instanter petit ut singuli professores suas de rebus in Concilio propositiones notam faciant.1 Th ese words are to be found in the report of the Faculty Council meeting of Leuven’s Faculty of Th eology and Canon Law dated October 9, 1959. While it may appear to have little signifi cance, it serves nevertheless as an interesting point of departure for our study of the preparatory phases of Vatican II. A closer examination of the notes taken on the occasion by dean Joseph Coppens2 reveals that a circular letter from Cardinal Domenico Tardini3 had apparently been addressed to the rectors of the Catholic universities. Leuven’s rector van Waeyenbergh4 did little more than pass the letter—which invited the theological faculties of the Roman Catholic universities to make their wishes known to the Antepre- paratory Conciliar Commission5—on to the dean of the Th eology 1 CSVII ASFT, 1957–62, p. 44. 2 Joseph Coppens (1896–1981), priest of the diocese of Ghent, professor of Biblical Exegesis at the Leuven Th eological Faculty and dean of the Faculty. See Gustave ils,Th et al., ‘In Memoriam Monseigneur J. Coppens, 1896–1981,’ ETL 57 (1981), 227–340. 3 Domenico Tardini (1888–1961), Italian cardinal, appointed Vatican Secretary of State in 1958, and thus responsible for Extroardinary Ecclesiastical Aff airs. Tardini sent the circular letter as president of the Antepreparatory Commission. See Vincenzo Carbone, ‘Il cardinale Tardini e la preparazione del Concilio Vaticano II,’ RSCI 45 (1991), 42–88. 4 Aft er his studies at the Major Seminary of Mechelen and teaching assignments in Lier and Antwerp, Henri van Waeyenbergh (1891–1971) becomes vice-rector of the Catholic University of Leuven. Following the death of his predecessor Paulin Ladeuze in 1940, van Waeyenbergh serves as rector of the university until 1962. See Joseph Coppens and Albert Descamps, ‘Son Excellence Mgr. van Waeyenbergh. In Memo- riam,’ ETL 47 (1971), 553–60; Albert Descamps, In Memoriam H. van Waeyenbergh, Universitatis catholicae lovaniensis Rector magnifi cus 1891–1871 (Leuven, 1971). 5 CSVII Archive Coppens 277.141: Letter from Tardini to van Waeyenbergh, July 18, 1959, with a handwritten note from the rector stating: “Photocopie envoyée à 10 chapter one Faculty. Th e specifi c terminology employed in the letter (Commissio antepraeparatoria, vota, etc. .), however, requires a brief digression on the matter of conciliar preparations as such. Th e present study thus begins with just such a general introduction. On January 25, 1959, when John XXIII somewhat unexpectedly6 declared his desire to organise a general Church council, a diocesan synod for Rome and the preparation of a new code of canon law,7 the lead up to the Second Vatican Council commenced ipsis verbis: a preparatory period that was to end with the opening of the Council on October 11, 1962, a little less than four years later. Th ese prepara- tory years can be divided into two phases, the fi rst generally referred to as the antepreparatory phase,8 the second the preparatory phase. Th e rather unusual neologism used to designate the fi rst phase stems from John XXIII himself and refers to the ‘preparation for the preparation toutes les facultés et conseils des commissions, mais surtout aux facultés ecclésias- tiques pour étude. 23.08.59.” 6 Th is should be nuanced. On the eve of the papal speech, John XXIII had in fact informed Cardinal Ottaviani of its content (see Giancarlo Zizola, Giovanni XXIII: La fede e la politica (Rome, 2000), pp. 126–7) and had discussed the idea with Tar- dini. See Giuseppe Alberigo, ‘Giovanni XXIII e il Vaticano II,’ in Papa Giovanni, ed. Giuseppe Alberigo [Storia e società] (Rome, 1987), 211–43, 211–2. One should not forget, in addition, that both Pius XI and Pius XII had already endeavoured—albeit without success—to continue the interrupted First Vatican Council (1869–1870). Ottaviani had had some involvement in the project proposed by Pius XII. See Giovanni Caprile, ‘Pio XI e la ripresa del concilio Vaticano,’ La Civiltà Cattolica 117/3 (1966), 27–39; Caprile, ‘Pio XII e un nuovo progetto di concilio ecu- menico,’ La Civiltà Cattolica 117/3 (1966) 209–27. More recently, François Uginet, ‘Les projets de concile général sous Pie XI et Pie XII,’ Le Deuxième Concile (1959– 1965), ed. Ecole biblique française de Rome (Rome, 1989), pp. 65–78. 7 On the motivation behind this decision, see Giuseppe Alberigo, ‘Th e Announce- ment of the Council. From the Security of the Fortress to the Lure of the Quest,’ History 1: 1–54; Alberto Melloni, ‘Questa festiva ricorrenza: Prodromi e preparazione del discorso di annuncio del Vaticano II (24 gennaio 1959),’ RSLR 28 (1992), 607–43; Giuseppe Alberigo, ‘L’ispirazione di un concilio ecumenico: Le esperienze del card. Roncalli,’ Le deuxième Concile du Vatican (1959–1965), pp. 81–99. Th e Italian origi- nal can be found in Discorsi messaggi colloqui del Santo Padre Giovanni XXIII, 6 vols (Rome, 1960–4), 1: 129–33. 8 Th is periodisation of the conciliar preparations is commonly accepted among Vatican II historians, and builds upon Carbone’s edition of the Acta et Documenta. It is refl ected in the studies of both the so-called ‘Bologna’ school, led by Giuseppe Alberigo (See History of Vatican II ) and the ‘Roman’ school featuring authors such as Marchetto (Agostino Marchetto, Chiesa e papato nella storia e nel diritto [Storia e attualità 16] (Vatican City, 2002); and his Il Concilio Ecumenico Vaticano II. Contrap- punti per la sua storia [Storia e attualità 17] (Vatican City, 2005)..