ABOUT THE COUNCIL
The Second Vatican Council was a monumental event that aimed to make over the Catholic Church from the inside out. The seismic impact of this transformational shift is aptly captured by theologian Bishop Kenneth Untener who defined it as a "fundamental movement in which the great plates beneath the church have shifted" (Callahan, 1994, p. 8). Announced by Pope John XXIII on July 25, 1959, the council reached out to embrace the modern world. This produced significant tensions as it was set against the backdrop of the past century in which the Church had "seen itself as a bulwark against that very same world" (Shreiter, 1999, p. 158).The council involved gathering together 2700 Catholic bishops to participate in the process of renewal, and encouraged a spirit of unity and collegiality (Burke-Sullivan, 2013), underpinned by dialogue (Price, 2013). The council would create a space which would allow the church to distinguish between issues related to the realm of the sacred and the gospel with that of the temporal world (McBrien, 2008).
This two dimensional approach referred to as ecclesia ad intra and ecclesia ad extra, involved how the Church thought of itself internally, and contrastingly, its connection to the issues of the outside world (Faggioli, 2015). The process included what the pope defined as two contrary hermeneutics, with the first stage involving the unearthing of the past through the ecclesiology of Church doctrines via a process known as ressourcement (O’Collins, 2012). The next stage involved revisiting and modifying Christian doctrines in order to illuminate their significance in a modern day context (Martos, 2001), known as a process called aggiornamento (O’Collins, 2012).
The doctrine on The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy paved the way for a revived understanding of the Church. This was followed by the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, which formed the basis for institutional renewal and reformation and was strongly supported by Gaudium et spes, a pastoral doctrine, which aimed to increase the connection of the Church with the secular world (Shreiter, 1999). Perhaps one of the most important changes involved the ecumenical documents that aimed to build bonds between other Christian faiths and open dialogue with non-Christian faiths. Although some of the reforms were received reluctantly, in a Church that has been defined by its stringent hierarchical structures for hundreds of years, significant change has ensued (Price, 2013). Whilst there is debate over the success of the Second Vatican Council initiatives 50 years on, there is no denying that the implemented initiatives have had a transformative impact on both the inner life of the Church and how the Church is perceived by the wider society.
This two dimensional approach referred to as ecclesia ad intra and ecclesia ad extra, involved how the Church thought of itself internally, and contrastingly, its connection to the issues of the outside world (Faggioli, 2015). The process included what the pope defined as two contrary hermeneutics, with the first stage involving the unearthing of the past through the ecclesiology of Church doctrines via a process known as ressourcement (O’Collins, 2012). The next stage involved revisiting and modifying Christian doctrines in order to illuminate their significance in a modern day context (Martos, 2001), known as a process called aggiornamento (O’Collins, 2012).
The doctrine on The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy paved the way for a revived understanding of the Church. This was followed by the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, which formed the basis for institutional renewal and reformation and was strongly supported by Gaudium et spes, a pastoral doctrine, which aimed to increase the connection of the Church with the secular world (Shreiter, 1999). Perhaps one of the most important changes involved the ecumenical documents that aimed to build bonds between other Christian faiths and open dialogue with non-Christian faiths. Although some of the reforms were received reluctantly, in a Church that has been defined by its stringent hierarchical structures for hundreds of years, significant change has ensued (Price, 2013). Whilst there is debate over the success of the Second Vatican Council initiatives 50 years on, there is no denying that the implemented initiatives have had a transformative impact on both the inner life of the Church and how the Church is perceived by the wider society.