1. Vatican II
Vatican II was a seminal event
in the life of the Church that
Jesus Christ founded back in
33AD. It modernized the
Church, added the vernacular to
the Mass, and increased the
participation of the laity in the
Mass. This Council of the
Magesterium back in the 1960's
was started by Pope John XXIII,
and finished by Pope Paul VI.
The 1960's were a very turbulent
time in the culture of the world
as well, with the liberal
influenced sexual revolution, the
pill, Viet Nam protests, the
Cuban Missile Crisis,
Pornographic Playboy Magazine
with psycho editor Hugh
"Depraved" Hefner, the Iron
Curtain, the Kennedy
assassination, the Cold War, etc. A lot of people in the Church at that time
were affected by these external cultural events, including the belief that no one
could tell them what to believe, especially when it came to being obedient to
the Church. These people started to believe that their conscience would be
their guide, rather than the Church, the Pope, or the Bible. As a result, many
priests and nuns left their vocation, got married, and went their own way.
Sadly, a lot of this laicization was blamed on Vatican II, rather than on the
culture shifts of the day.
Some traditional Catholics, like the Society of St. Pius X , broke away from the
Vatican, because they disagreed with the ecumenism of Vatican II, and the
"new Mass" in the vernacular of which I personally agree. They believed that
the Latin Tridentine Mass (from the Council of Trent in the 16th Century) was
the only valid Mass, and every other Mass was invalid, I feel the same way.
They took it upon themselves to ordain new priests and bishops without the
Vatican's permission, and were summarily excommunicated. Just recently,
Pope Benedict XVI lifted their excommunication, and talks are underway to
bring them back into communion with The Church. Some people erroneously
2. believe that every Pope after Pope Pius XII is invalid, because they endorsed
Vatican II. These folks are called sedevacantists (the seat being vacant) I am
very close to being a sedevaticanist but I want to remain in full communion
with Rome so I have ambivalent feelings.
So we see that Vatican II was a watershed for those on the left who didn't like
their vow of obedience and left, and for those on the right who believed that
Vatican II itself was not obedient to the Council of Trent and left. Both were
wrong. The Vatican II Mass is as valid and holy as any Mass, including the
Latin rite. To deny that is to deny the authority of The Church, and makes
Jesus into a liar when he said that "the gates of hell would not prevail against
My Church."
For sure, there were numerous abuses in local parishes, done in the "spirit of
Vatican II" (whatever that is), including horrible music, clown masses, balloon
masses, making-it-up-as-you-go-along liturgical abuses, horrible new-church
architecture, removal of statues from churches, personal conscience trumping
church teaching in the confessional, off-color jokes told from the pulpit and
altar, etc. Pope Benedict once said that the implementation of Vatican II was
like building a house with no blueprint, with every parish deciding on its own
what to do. However, under his leadership, things are starting to change. The
Latin Mass can now be said in any parish where the parishioners want it.
Before, it was left up to the discretion of the local Bishop when and where it
could be said, thus limiting it. On July 7, 2007, Pope Benedict with his Motu
Proprio (on his own impulse) "Summorum Pontificum" changed all of that.
Pope Benedict is now allowing the Traditional Anglicans to come into the
Church, retaining much of their beautiful liturgy intact. He is also working
closely with the Orthodox Church, who never really warmed to the new Mass,
to reunite with the Vatican after an almost 1000 year split. So the ecumenism
of Vatican II is coming to fruition almost 50 years later. Funny how a German
priest, Martin Luther, created schisms in the Christian world almost 500 years
ago, and now, another German priest, Pope Benedict, is bringing it all back
together again.
Some of the best documents in the history of the Catholic Church were written
during Vatican II. Below are EWTN's links to all sixteen of them, including
Dei Verbum (the Word of God), which delineates the importance of sacred
scripture, and shows the world how Catholics read the Bible. If you don't have
time to read all 16 of them, at least read Dei Verbum. You'll be glad you did!
3. THE SIXTEEN DOCUMENTS OF VATICAN II
1. Sacrosanctum concilium, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 1963.
2. Inter Mirifica, Decree On the Means of Social Communication, 1963.
3. Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution On the Church, 1964.
4. Orientalium Ecclesiarum, Decree On the Catholic Churches of the Eastern
Rite,1964.
5. Unitatis Redintegratio, Decree on Ecumenism, 1964.
6. Christus Dominus, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops In the
Church, 1965.
7. Perfectae Caritatis, Decree On Renewal of Religious Life, 1965.
8. Optatam Totius, Decree On Priestly Training, 1965.
9. Gravissimum Educationis, Declaration On Christian Education, 1965.
10. Nostra Aetate, Declaration On the Relation Of the Church to Non-Christian
Religions, 1965.
11. Dei Verbum, Dogmatic Constitution On Divine Revelation, 1965.
12. Apostolicam Actuositatem, Decree On the Apostolate of the Laity, 1965.
13. Dignitatis Humanae, Declaration On Religious Freedom, 1965.
14. Ad Gentes, Decree On the Mission Activity of the Church, 1965.
15. Presbyterorum Ordinis, Decree On the Ministry and Life of Priests, 1965.
16. Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution On the Church In the Modern
World, 1965.
