Vatican II Church Council: The Second Vatican Essay

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Vatican II Church Council:

The Second Vatican Council occurred between 1962 and 1965 to demonstrate the liveliness and hope of the Church to continue serving the world. As an initiative of Pope John XXIII, the Council was a huge success as evident in its proceedings and its sixteen documents. However, one of the major questions in the aftermath of the Council is whether it was accorded reception by the universal Church. Secondly, there are concerns on whether the Council should have equipped the post-Conciliar Church in its mandate to people. Through its very nature, the Vatican II Church Council was a ramified progression of occurrences from the moment it was announced by the pope.

Origin of the Vatican II Church Council:

Both the Church and the world were surprised by Pope John XXVIII in January 25, 1959 following his announcement of a general Council for the Universal Church (Wilde, p. 13). While the surprise extended to the Council leaders and most famous bishops, it was fueled by the fact that the pope called for the general council within ninety days after his election. The announcement was made because of the need for change in the Church, especially because of the ongoing heresy or problem. During this time, many bishops and leaders wished for change in the Church though very few expected it to come about.

Following the call of the general Council, both the bishop and Church leaders were optimistic of its potential though it was not a guarantee of the occurrence of change. They widely considered the move as a break from the ordinary since the previous council, Vatican I, only urged the Church in a more conservative direction through the proclamation of the doctrine of papal infallibility. The reality of the Council preparations and historical knowledge made many participants to be pessimistic of any vital progressive change or significant role.

At the time when the announcement of the Vatican II council was made, the Catholic Church experienced many challenges in the period before the Second Council.

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This period is actually referred to as the Counter-Reformation Period by some scholars since it was characterized by more emphasis on rule and regulations (Doyle, p.12). The transition beyond this period via the Vatican II necessitated the church's need to overturn its intense anti-Protestantism and balance its enormous hierarchical authority structure. Moreover, the Catholic Church needed to change its relations with Jews and other global religions and restore its mutual grievances with the Eastern Orthodox churches.

Reasons for the Church's Need of a Council:

The Second Vatican Council was called for by the pope in order to answer the three circles of questions that emerged in this period. The need for answers for the three set of questions can be regarded as the reason for the occurrence of this council. These three reasons are …

Definition of the Relationship between Faith and Science:

Redefining the relationship between faith and science was one of the major reasons for Vatican II Church Council. The need for answers on this question included the natural and historical science since the historical-critical method claimed the final word on interpreting the Bible. As opposed to the significant points of interpretation explained by the Church's faith, the historical-critical method demanded total exclusivity in interpretation of Scripture.

Definition of the Relationship between the Church and State:

There was a great need to provide a new definition of the relationship between the Church and modern state in order to guarantee impartiality for people of other ideologies and religion (Lamb & Levering, p. xii). This would also help in assuming responsibility for the order and tolerant co-existence of other religions while providing the freedom for people to practice their own religion.

Problem of Religious Tolerance:

Religious tolerance was a huge problem that necessitated the provision of a new definition of the relationship between Christianity and other global religions. This need was mainly fueled by the need for a retrospective analysis of the long and difficult….....

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