Analysis of a Few Key Points Relating the Second Vatican Council to Specific Challenges of the Modern World

The Pope is the head of the Church: he represents the ultimate religious authority. However, as a Bishop of Rome, the Pope is also in command of certain secular affairs, including some military aspects. Certainly, the Pope is a link between the earthly and the divine realms. Problems arise when the imperfect world the Pope physically lives in interferes with his heavenly objectives. Taking Pope Gregory I as an example, I am going to look at his letters to analyze how he reconciled his political and spiritual goals, whether he valued one category over the other, and how he justified it.

The contribution of Pope John XXIII has been profound, as many of his initiatives and actions are still resonating today. His acceptance of Jesus’ words “I came to save all nations.” Represented his motivation to do well and bring peace upon the world. He was an advocate of Christian unity, social justice, human rights and the promotion of world peace. It is through his development of the Second Vatican Council, his contribution to ecumenism and his empathy for humanity that Pope John XXIII made a significant impact upon the development and expression of Christianity.

When the Roman Empire collapsed, the Catholic Church was the only powerful authority not complete disrupted by the attack by barbarians. In fact, the work of great Popes is what helped their power increase even more. The newly christened barbarians, done by the Pope Gregory the Great, inaugurated a new age in Jesus Christ called Christendom. All culture in Christendom conformed to that of the Church’s, and, with its headquarters in Rome, the powerful “papal monarchs”, as they were called, controlled the machine that was the Catholic Church.

The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II as it is often called, was an Ecumenical Council, (which means it affected the worldwide Christian community) of the Roman Catholic Church. It began on October 11, 1962 under, Pope John XXIII with over two thousand attendants (Hollis 23). The council ended on December 8, 1965, with Pope Paul VI presiding over the council due to the death of Pope John XXIII in 1963. The council consisted of four different sessions convening in the fall of the four years during which the council took place. Topics discussed and debated throughout the council were issues concerning the church, the liturgy, revelation and scripture, and the clergy.

As time constantly presses forward and the earth continues to revolve, the world will never stop progressing and adapting to better suit the needs of mankind. The evolution of religion has greatly enhanced the quality of life for humanity by providing individuals with a strong belief system that is now the foundation of many peoples’ core values. One universal religion that has undergone extensive amounts of reform is Christianity. In particular, the Catholic church is well-known for the development of their famous ecumenical council meetings that help determine the future of the church. Numerous Councils have been conducted throughout the course of history, but none more significant than the most recent, the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II. The Catholic church was operating as if it was still the medieval period and desperately needed to be modernized. As a result, every Roman Catholic Church official was gathered to meet and devise a plan for how to introduce the church to the modern world. Consequently, the following will reveal the Second Vatican Council and the ramifications of the agenda, history and theology evolution, significant texts, and new developments.

The most important recurring issues in the study of the history of Christianity during our time period is sexual abuse amongst the Catholic Clergy and abortion, the killing of a living entity, as it is a sin against God according to biblical doctrine. Many believe that sexual abuse happening in the Catholic Church, is directly related to celibacy. The Churches restriction on priests that directs them to abstain from sexual relations. This issue has been debated since the reformation in which Martin Luther and other reformers opposed celibacy. They based their argument against celibacy on the bible scripture, namely Genesis 1:28, where God wanted people to “be fruitful and multiply”. There is nothing in the bible that directly mentions celibacy. There are many versions that mention fornication and uncleanliness and the interpretation of the Catholic Church seems to have made this deduction based on those scriptures. The other major issue that is common in most of the world’s religions is abortion; the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Protestant Church still adopt the early church’s belief to oppose the practice of abortion. Abortion is considered murder and a mortal sin in accordance which many versus in the bible as it relates to each of these faiths. Even between the Old Testament, where the law or Tora refers to the 10 commandments, where Exodus 20:13 states “Thou shall not Murder” and

Paul’s letter to the Romans is of his greatest theological works, passed down for thousands of years and still as relevant today as it was in Paul’s time. How exactly is it relevant the modern Christian may ask? What with its harsh language that includes statements such as “the wages of sin is death” (6:23) and “the wrath of God” (1:18), one may say that current times have changed. Some may say that the issues Paul addresses are acceptable in today’s society. What exactly is the Christian to think? The purpose of this short essay is to examine how the Book of Romans relates to the Christian in the twenty-first century and how it helps to shape his worldview.

The Second Vatican Council contributed many changes to the Catholic Church in order to freshen and modernise their thinking and practices. One notable change being the contribution of the lay people in the celebration of the mass. All baptised Catholics have a purpose to fulfil therefore have the authority to contribute through responses, hymns and prayers. Each church formed lay ministers to assist in the clergy and further the involvement of the congregation. Another significant change was the removal of the Latin language in the mass. So that people could understand and interpret the teachings of the scriptures the mass was said in vernacular languages which were coherent to society and people could now act out Jesus’ teachings in their

Christianity, a religion many adhere to and follow faithfully, but what’s its’ history, how did it develop, and how did it impact the world? There are a million and one ways this religion has shaped the world and how its changed over the years. This paper is not to look at everything Christianity has done nor how its changed every time but rather talk about the four major points where Christianity really shapes itself throughout all of history. These four points are its birth in roam, the crusades, the protestant reformation along with John Calvin, and its effect on the transition to the new world. These are events in history where Christianity is undergoing major changer or is influencing most if not all the world.

The First Vatican Council was an influential event to church history. It helped deal with many of the problems of the time, paving the way for future church decisions in the process. It holds major importance to many aspects of the church with its aid in the creation of the addition of new church doctrine and many other things. The First Vatican Council was significant in many ways regarding its history, its affects on the church at the time, and issues it talked about.

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) as stated by Hobson and Welbourne (2002) is seen as a catalyst for major change in the “discourse of religious education”. Religious educators have found it necessary to change not only what they teach, but more importantly, how they teach it to make accommodation for changes to both culture and tradition. These changes include the impact of early Catholic schools and the shift from lay to religious teachers, as well as the evolution of secular theories from historical approaches through to contemporary approaches that were influenced by Church documents and the faith experiences of students and teachers. To appreciate the state of Australian Catholic schools since Vatican II, it is important to understand

After John XXIII died, Pope Paul VI took over leading the Council and the Church universal. By selling the Papal tiara, the crown worn by popes, and giving the money to the poor,957 Paul VI confirmed a servant style of leadership in accordance with the ancient papal title, “A servant of the servants of God” used by Pope St. Gregory the Great (590-604). One way he served the people of God was by overseeing the revision of the liturgy. This culminated in 1969 when he approved a new “ordinary” of the Roman Rite Mass.958

Within Yves Congar’s The Meaning of Tradition, he sets out to define the traditions of the Catholic Church. Congar begins his analysis of the role of Tradition in the Catholic Church by defining it; his definition states that Tradition is a gift from God that is passed down subsequent generations. According to Congar the Church’s tradition involves sharing Christ’s revelation, so that God’s revelation can be passed down throughout space and time. Congar devotes sections of his book to the role of magisterium in the Church. The magisterium has a pivotal role in analyzing the doctrines of the faith and providing the people of God with an explanation of its meaning. By doing this, the magisterium is exercising its role as the successors of Jesus’ apostles in guiding the faithful. The Magisterium is essential to ensuring that the faithful create a personal relationship with God. Congar, attributes the magisterium’s role in the Tradition of the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit. According to Congar argues that the Holy Spirit has inspired the Church throughout history. The Holy Spirit also works through the people, giving them the gifts necessary for understanding the word of God. Congar continues to ascribe the Church’s tradition to its familiar atmosphere that allows faith to grow in believers. Congar goes on to state that the Church’s tradition does not stem from Scripture alone, the uniting force of God’s word. Scripture needs to come from an inspired source, alone it can

Fr R. Cantalamessa pointed out, “The prophetic intuition of Pope Paul VI had a determining role in this (recognition of the CCR by the Church). In that, on Pentecost of 1975 at a meeting with its leaders, he defined the Charismatic Renewal as a ‘chance’ for the Church.” Cardinal L.J. Suenens, a protagonist of CCR, recognized it as “a current of grace” and convinced Pope Paul VI of the need for the Church to accept and encourage the Renewal in order that it should not grow in isolation. In the summer of 1975, some 10,000 Catholic charismatics gathered in the Catacombs of St. Callistus in Rome for the Second International Congress. A special Mass was celebrated with singing in tongues and prophecies at the Papal Altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome followed by the historic special audience with Pope Paul VI.

I believe without an idea of what the church wants to accomplish they must have a statement of purpose. Ephesians tells us “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11, NIV). This tells me that the church needs to prayerfully commune with God to discover what purpose He has for us and then make that purpose into a statement of