GAUDIUM ET SPES:
The positive direction that was intended for the doctrine of Gaudium et spes is appropriately captured in the opening prologue statements, which identify the Church with the “joys and sorrows” (McBrien, 2008, p. 195) of the modern world and profess to listen to the “signs of the times” (McBrien, 2008, p. 195). With this document, the Church aimed to demonstrate a commitment to peace and social justice and act as advocates for people’s human rights, particularly for the poor and disenfranchised. The document begins with an analysis of the situation of humans in the modern world and moves on to analyse human dignity, both of which are themes that had never before been broached in Church doctrines and reflected the true spirit of aggiorniamento (Lawler, Salzman & Burke-Sullivan, 2014). The Church was determined to prove that it was in touch with the problems common to man and professed a new openness to the world by styling its character on pastoral concerns (McDonagh, 1991). The Church had come to understand that it could no longer distance itself from secular preoccupations and was now “well aware of this fact and of its inability to stop the world in order to get off” (McDonagh, 1991, p. 96), seeing itself as being in communion with the people and a dynamic and changeable entity that aimed to be at the service of its people. The pastoral tone adopted in the document reflected this new approach and starkly contrasted the usually juridicial tone that dominated Church doctrines.
Gaudium et spes focused in particularly on new schema that consisted of the following six areas:
• Reconcile elements of its full human meaning with its Christian sense
• Human rights
• Marriage and Family
• The movement of Culture
• The influence of socioeconomics on humanity and faith
• Promoting peace amongst nations (McBrien, 2008).
Important Ecclesiological teachings:
• The Church must address all of humanity on faith matters, not just Catholics
• The Church is servant
• The Church is accountable for “reading the signs of the times”
• The Church must guide humanity to put peace and justice before material needs
• The Church must balance the political, social and economic interests with human rights whilst maintaining independence from the state
• The Church must not act in discordance with the Gospel or in ways that harm humanity
• The laity are called to participate actively in the Church
• The Church must act in a spirit of harmony in order to achieve its aims (McBrien, 2008).
IMPACT AND SIGNFICANCE:
With the Gaudium et spes document came a greater investigation of what marriage meant to the Church. However, this presented significant difficulties, as what the Church believed often clashed and contradicted how marriage was perceived and engaged with in the modern world. In the past, the Church had wholly based marriage upon the preconception that it was primarily for procreation; however, this stance was softened and widened to recognise the need for the well-being of the couple (Patterson, 2001).
The issue of the treatment of women in the Church still remains a contentious one. The towering figure of Cardinal Suenens was very vocal in his condemnation of the absence of women in council deliberations, declaring “half the Church was excluded” (Radforde Ruether, 1991, p. 240-241). Although great gains in the status of women have been made since, Price believes that there is still a ‘clear disconnect between Jesus’ view of equality of women” (Price, 2013, p. 194) and their treatment by the Catholic Church. Despite statements in Gaudium et spes condemning sex discrimination and promoting the involvement of women in cultural life, Radforde Ruether (1991) believes the Church only intended this for secular life and did not hold themselves accountable to the same standards. Other women’s issues such as abortion and the debate over their rights over their body versus the rights of the unborn foetus have been highly inflammatory and are often at odds with the liberal views circulating in secular society (Burtchaell, 1999).
REFLECTION: What changes could we make within our Religious Education classes and in designing the Sacrament of the Liturgy experience to ensure student experiences are more connected to the external world that they emerge from?
Gaudium et spes focused in particularly on new schema that consisted of the following six areas:
• Reconcile elements of its full human meaning with its Christian sense
• Human rights
• Marriage and Family
• The movement of Culture
• The influence of socioeconomics on humanity and faith
• Promoting peace amongst nations (McBrien, 2008).
Important Ecclesiological teachings:
• The Church must address all of humanity on faith matters, not just Catholics
• The Church is servant
• The Church is accountable for “reading the signs of the times”
• The Church must guide humanity to put peace and justice before material needs
• The Church must balance the political, social and economic interests with human rights whilst maintaining independence from the state
• The Church must not act in discordance with the Gospel or in ways that harm humanity
• The laity are called to participate actively in the Church
• The Church must act in a spirit of harmony in order to achieve its aims (McBrien, 2008).
IMPACT AND SIGNFICANCE:
With the Gaudium et spes document came a greater investigation of what marriage meant to the Church. However, this presented significant difficulties, as what the Church believed often clashed and contradicted how marriage was perceived and engaged with in the modern world. In the past, the Church had wholly based marriage upon the preconception that it was primarily for procreation; however, this stance was softened and widened to recognise the need for the well-being of the couple (Patterson, 2001).
The issue of the treatment of women in the Church still remains a contentious one. The towering figure of Cardinal Suenens was very vocal in his condemnation of the absence of women in council deliberations, declaring “half the Church was excluded” (Radforde Ruether, 1991, p. 240-241). Although great gains in the status of women have been made since, Price believes that there is still a ‘clear disconnect between Jesus’ view of equality of women” (Price, 2013, p. 194) and their treatment by the Catholic Church. Despite statements in Gaudium et spes condemning sex discrimination and promoting the involvement of women in cultural life, Radforde Ruether (1991) believes the Church only intended this for secular life and did not hold themselves accountable to the same standards. Other women’s issues such as abortion and the debate over their rights over their body versus the rights of the unborn foetus have been highly inflammatory and are often at odds with the liberal views circulating in secular society (Burtchaell, 1999).
REFLECTION: What changes could we make within our Religious Education classes and in designing the Sacrament of the Liturgy experience to ensure student experiences are more connected to the external world that they emerge from?