If we wish to consider the origins of the Second Vatican Council from a historical perspective and analyze the reactions to its announcement, we must inevitably reference the First Vatican Council, which concluded under dramatic circumstances.
Rome, where the conciliar deliberations took place in 1870, was occupied by revolutionary troops seeking to establish a new state that would eventually become Italy. During this time, the Pope was stripped of centuries of temporal authority, and both Rome and the Church State were under occupation. We won't go into all the details here because it's quite complex, but it's important to understand that this had a profound and lasting impact on the papacy and the entire Church. In response to this new reality, Pope Pius IX chose to pause the ongoing Council discussions and sent bishops back to their dioceses. Remembering that the Council was suspended—rather than concluded—is key to understanding the circumstances that led to the Holy Pope John XIII's calling of the new Council.
The question of the Council’s ongoing “enduration,” which Pius IX had suspended, was always on the minds of both his successors on the See of Peter and many within the Church. Even Pope Leo XIII, who was sincerely committed to fulfilling the resolutions of the Council set by his predecessor, saw completing the Council as an important goal. However, he also recognized the limited options available to him, mainly due to the isolation of the See of Peter by the Italian Republic.
The idea of holding a Council was already on the minds of Holy Popes like Pius X and Benedict XV. However, the Church first had to confront the challenges posed by modernism, which was quite destructive, and later, the widespread confusion brought about by World War I. Early in his pontificate, Pope Pius XI, in his December 1922 encyclical Ubi arcano, mentioned the possibility of convening the Council. Although the plans remained secret, he formed the first committee in 1923. This committee was charged with thoroughly examining the achievements of the 1870 Council and identifying key issues to be addressed in the future Council.
The Pope himself inspired – at least indirectly – the future work of the Council through his rich teaching, but again, the growing popularity of totalitarianisms, including German fascism and Bolshevik communism, and the bloody persecution of the Church (in Spain and Mexico). In 1949, following World War II, Pope Pius XII returned to the idea of convening the Council and therefore appointed an appropriate commission. With his teaching, he inspired commission work and prepared the pre-prepared documents. However, the Church was not, as the Pope knew well, yet ready to take up such a challenge, given the need to rebuild the destroyed Church life, including in terms of personnel, in the key areas of the Christian world of the time.
The Work of Saint John XXIII
St. John XXIII, when deciding to convene the Council, did not act by accident or in the impulse of easy enthusiasm or even naiveté, as sometimes is the case with historians of the Church citing the voices of the press of that time. Behind his decision, announced in January 1959, 3 months after the beginning of the pontificate, is the long ecclesial expectation expressed by successive popes, the preparations already undertaken by them, and the deep hope for a centrally directed renewal of Church life and the ordering of many new doctrinal, moral, and disciplinary issues that have become increasingly urgent. It was also about taking into account the achievements of various “movements” of the Church, which, since the middle of the 19th century, have shaped the life and effects of theological research inspired by the First Vatican Council. The very announcement of this event in St. Basilica Paul outside the Walls on January 25, 1959, was even laconic: “Venerable brothers and beloved our sons! We say to you . . . the name and the proposal of a double celebration: the diocesan Synod for Rome and the Universal Council for the universal Church.”
Church response
The first reactions to John XXIII's announcement were marked primarily by deep astonishment, beginning with the cardinals who listened to his speech. We find testimony of this amazement even in the pages of the Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano. A similar reaction appeared in the press around the world at the time. In the Church, however, the initial surprise quickly gave way to considerable enthusiasm, even though everyone was aware of the unknown the whole Church faced.
Perhaps the greatest expression of this enthusiasm was the card. Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, soon Pope Paul VI, and a faithful continuation of the Council’s work. The next day, after hearing the announcement of the new Council, card. Montini wrote to his faithful: “A historical event of primary importance is to be made; not an event of anger or violence, such as the terribly great wars; not an event in the field of earthly politics or secular culture, as there are fleetingly great such numerous human agreements; not an event related to scientific discoveries or temporal needs, as are doubtfully great such many facts concerning our civil history, but a great event for the great peace of the peoples; a great event for the whole of humanity. It will be the greatest council ever celebrated by the Church during the twenty centuries of her history – the greatest because of the spiritual and numerical influx, in the full and complete unity of her hierarchy; it will be the greatest for the Catholic world because of its size, indeed of interest to the entire geographical and civilian world.”
History opens before our eyes immeasurable, age-old visions. (...) The flock of Christ, the Church, will be presented, assembled, and squeezed around the only true shepherd, the vicar of the good Gospel Shepherd, and will open the gates in invitation and expectation of a scattered flock, perhaps ready for a prophetic, great return.
Similar in content and enthusiasm, telegrams of thanks for convening the Council promptly began to arrive to John XXIII from across the Catholic world, including bishops, episcopal conferences, priests, lay faithful, ecclesial associations, and Catholic universities. Evidence of the warm reception of the promising papal initiative is documented in numerous pastoral letters addressed by bishops to the faithful, in which the purpose and necessity of the Council were clarified. Moreover, in almost all instances, there was an expressed hope that the Council would yield “abundant fruit” for the Church and the wider world.
The initial efforts for the upcoming Council focused on the encyclical “Ad Petri cathedram”, issued by John XXIII on June 29, 1960. The Pre-Preparatory Commission kindly asked bishops, superiors of religious orders, and Catholic universities to share their ideas and proposals on issues the Council should consider. These extensive volumes, which collected and published all the submitted vota, beautifully highlight the many challenges within Church life and showcase John XXIII’s thoughtful initiative. Based on these submissions, suitable “schemas,” or draft proposals for documents, were then prepared to guide the future discussions of the Council.