60 years have passed since the Second Vatican Council. For most Catholics, the Church shaped by the Council is the obvious and the only known reality.
We often do not realize that, without the reforms of Vatican II, our participation in the life of the Church would be different and, for the laity, more limited. Universal access to and encouragement of reading the Scriptures, active commitment to the liturgy (including women), and a multitude of Catholic movements and communities operating in almost every parish – we would not have had these without the Second Vatican Council. The Second Vatican Council was convened by Pope John XXIII in 1962 and continued after his death by Pope Paul VI until 1965. The Council’s provisions, contained in 16 documents, are not so much dogmatic as pastoral, and their purpose was to renew and revive the Church. The main achievements of the Council are presented in the following points.
Reform of the liturgy
The changes the faithful experienced most tangibly concerned the liturgy. In addition to introducing national languages and turning the celebrant's face to the faithful, it was crucial to value the participation of the laity. The liturgy was recognized as an action not only of the clergy but of the whole Church – the priestly people. The renewal of the liturgy provided for the full, conscious, and active participation of all the faithful, who were allowed to perform liturgical functions. The document entirely dedicated to the liturgy is the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, “SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM”.
The role of the laity
The Council emphasized that the laity are full members of the people of God and are equal in the dignity and duty of building the Church. They share in the priestly, royal, and prophetic mission of Christ, and their task is to participate in the Church's saving work by sanctifying the world from within and engaging in temporal affairs in the evangelical spirit. The Constitution "Lumen gentium" pointed to the "common vocation to holiness" for both clergy and laity. In addition, the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity “APOSTOLICAM ACTUOSITATEM” encouraged women to participate more fully in the life and activity of the Church. At this point, it is also worth mentioning the indications of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Revelation of God “Dei Verbum”, which considered the access of the faithful to the Holy Scriptures as a necessary thing. It should be remembered that earlier, it was carefully approached to make the Scriptures available to the laity.
Definition of Church
The image of the Church, which in the past functioned as Noah’s Ark – drifting among the floods and saving the elect from destruction – gave way to a new look. The Council, through the Pastoral Constitution on the Church “GAUDIUM ET SPES”, offered dialogue to the entire human family. The Church is part of the world, the document said, and therefore must know and understand this world. The dogmatic constitution on the Church, “Lumen gentium,” describes the Church as the “tool of salvation for all,” which, although it does not currently include all people, is used by Christ for the good of the whole world. The Council defined that Catholics are fully incorporated into the Church, but other Christians are also united to it. In addition, those who have not yet received the Gospel, and thus the followers of other religions and non-believers, are also assigned to it in a spiritual way. These statements were a milestone in the path of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. In place of the old formula, “the Church of Christ is the Catholic Church,” a new one was introduced: “The Church of Christ abides in the Catholic Church.” In this way, it was recognized that apart from the visible organism of the Catholic Church, there are “numerous elements of sanctification and truth,” which are elements of the Church of Christ, and that it was once and for all ended up calling non-Catholic heretics or schismatics.
Ecumenism
One of the most significant steps of the Church during Vatican II was its participation in the ecumenical movement and its recognition of non-Catholic Christians as “brothers in the Lord,” justified by faith and included in Christ. The Decree on Ecumenism, “UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO,” points to the numerous and important elements of the Church existing outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church. The entire third chapter of the document outlines the connections between the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches. It was also groundbreaking to recognize that the blame for the divisions in Christianity lay with Catholics. The immediate fruit of the Council was a photo in December 1965 of the excommunication between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, imposed in 1054.
Dialogue with religions
The declaration on the Church’s attitude toward non-Christian religions, “NOSTRA AETATE,” is the shortest and one of the last documents of the Second Vatican Council. However, its meaning is revolutionary, as it marks a new stage in the Church’s relations with the outside world – interreligious dialogue. In the declaration, the Council Fathers draw attention to the spiritual values present in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions, highlight numerous links with Islam, and emphasize the special bond between Christians and Jews, who have never ceased to be the chosen people. The declaration states: “The Church rejects nothing from what is true and holy in these religions.” The commitment to dialogue with followers of other religions applies to all Catholics and stems from the very heart of our faith: “We cannot address God as the Father of all if we do not agree to treat one of the people in the image of God created in the foreground.”
The Catholic Church, through the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, did not change its doctrine but rather its evaluation of the outside world. By opening himself to dialogue with cultures and religions, the Council did not introduce anything entirely new but rather returned to the apostolic and patristic traditions. The Council also recognized that, in order to carry out his mission effectively, he must continually renew himself and read the signs of the times. However, not everyone agreed with the provisions of Vatican II. The extreme traditionalist circles rejected the Council, deeming it an embezzlement of the Church's centuries-old tradition, an expression of modernism, and a secularization of the Church. Particular criticism focused on the liturgical changes, openness to dialogue with non-Christian religions, and ecumenism. Under the leadership of Bishop Marcel Lefebvre, a schism took place on his initiative, resulting in the formation of the Brotherhood of Pius X. Some traditionalist circles in union with the Church also expressed skepticism about the Council, blaming it for the crisis of the Church in Europe. However, this crisis predated Vatican II, and it should be recognized that it would have been deepened were it not for the pastoral awakening that was the fruit of Vatican II. This is evidenced by the numerous Catholic movements and communities that revive the Church at the parish, diocesan, and national levels.