What Was The Point Of Vatican II

-Insights from the opening speech of Pope John XXIII

The 2nd Vatican Council is the defining moment of modern Church history. While according to some standards, an event that took place over 50 years ago might seem to have little relevance for today, in terms of Church history, 50 years is just a blink of an eye. Now, there has been much ink spilled (and words spoken) about Vatican II, both in support of and critical of the Council, and the point of this article is not to enter into that debate. Instead, my goal is to present the opening speech of Pope John XXIII (who called the Council) as the key to understanding the scope and purpose of Vatican II, and as essential for understanding the mission of the Church today. In this article, I will provide a brief introduction to this opening speech, followed by a link to read the text in full (which is very much worth doing).

John XXIII opened the twenty-first ecumenical council of the Catholic Church with words of hope and expectation. While recognizing the difficulties and challenges facing not only the Church but society as a whole, Pope John XXIII spoke of the ability as well as the duty of the council to lead to a “radiation of truth” and a “strengthening of spiritual energies” in order to give “proper guidance” to all members of the human family, both individually and collectively in society.

Of particular concern for the Council was: (1) that the truth of the Christian faith should be more efficaciously taught, (2) that this doctrine should speak to the whole of man, taking into consideration both his heavenly and earthly life and duties, and (3) that this doctrine guide humanity toward heaven as its ultimate end and true happiness. Pope John XXIII said that the Gospel needs to be presented in a manner that would speak to the present situation, it needed to address the real challenges and issues confronting society and the human person, and it needed to facilitate the elevation of mankind to consideration of heavenly things and to the attainment of salvation.

While acknowledging the various problems and errors resulting from modern developments, John XXIII also recognized the opportunities accorded to the Church through the “methods of research” and “literary forms” of modern thought. Through utilizing these new developments to present the Gospel message, the Church, while remaining ever faithful to the deposit of faith, would be able to take a “step forward in doctrinal penetration,” resulting in an updating (aggiornamento) within the Church. This updating, Pope John XXIII cautioned, must be carefully done so as to not depart from the truth inherited from the past, however, he challenged the council to “look to the present” to see how new conditions in the world “have opened new avenues to the Catholic apostolate.” In short, John XXIII saw the present situation as full of possibilities for more effectively sharing the Gospel, rather than as something to reject and view with suspicion.

Pope John XXIII also called for a new method of addressing the various errors in modern society. Rather than reacting solely with a message of condemnation, the Church should “make use of the medicine of mercy rather than severity.” And, in responding to errors, it is the validity of the Gospel message that should be stressed, rather than merely pointing out the falsity of opposing views.

Related to this is the call to unity among all members of the Christian and human family: between Catholics among themselves, between Catholics and other Christians not in union with Rome, and between Catholics and those who follow non-Christian religions. Such unity could be brought about by working together to address the challenges and problems of society, by working to form the earthly city as an image of the heavenly city, where “truth reigns” and “charity is law.”

After exploring the purpose and intent of the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXII closed his speech by stating the conditions under which success would be made possible. In order for the council to accomplish that which it intended, it was necessary that all gathered exercise “serenity of mind, brotherly concord, moderation in proposals, dignity in discussion, and wisdom of deliberation.”

Only then could the council reach the end for which it was called.

The ultimate goal of Vatican II, which was later echoed by Pope Paul VI after the council, was “To make the Church of the [twenty-first] century ever better fitted for proclaiming the Gospel to the people of the [twenty-first] century…to revise methods, to seek by every means to study how we can bring the Christian message to modern man” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 2,3).

The entire speech can be read here: Opening Speech to Vatican II