Second Vatican Council Research Paper

church should rest with a church council and not the pope and that the church was

The roles of people in the church were redefined, as the Pope established himself clearly as a man of action, and not unreachable ‘God like’ figure. He did not submit to his power and instead worked together and worked for the people to make worshipping Christ more meaningful. The sacraments were developed to involve the congregation and improve the expression of Christian beliefs as the church was modernized and clericalism was removed.

The Council of Trent was initiated by Pope Paul III. The council met in Trento, Italy in December 1545 and they met two more times in May 1551 and January 1562 and ended in December 1563. This council was created to identify the abuses within the Church and to clarify Catholic doctrine and reaffirmed the Pope to be the head of the Church (Bruening 161-3). The council declared anyone who did not agree with all the seven sacraments, they would be denounced and excommunicated.

In 1517, Martin Luther suggested the reformation of the Roman Catholic church. During the 16th Century, the Roman Catholic Church was experiencing the Protestant Reformation in which Catholics were trying to reform

The Council has different branches but all of them have the same thing in common and that is to remain in power and also encourage collectivism. “The will of the Council is above all things, for it is the will of our brothers, which is holy. But if you wish it so, we shall obey you. Rather shall we be evil with you than good with all our brothers.(34)” The Council has pretty much seen as a god almost with all the power.

As means to start such reform, Pope Paul III, initiated The Council of Trent. The gathering amongst high-ranking churchmen took place from 1545-1563 and was held for two primary purposes. The council was mustered to determine a plan to combat Protestantism and how Catholics would compromise with them and to reform the Catholic Church by clarification of the doctrine and define the central articles of faith. Through The Council of Trent, the strength of the Catholic doctrine increased, and there became a higher stress placed on the importance of the visual arts. The council was successful in developing a doctrine that outlined the difference between Protestantism and Catholicism and created

Furthermore, all Catholics were required to understand and believe in the teachings of the church, accept the supreme authority of the church and develop his or her inner life. In other words, it was required that devout Catholics adhere to all decrees issued by ecumenical councils. Accordingly, at the Fourth Lateran Council the Catholic Church the following decrees were issued. 1) The Catholic Church is the one universal church and no one outside of the church can be saved, 2) Jesus’ body and blood is contained in the sacraments, 3) Only ordained

Until Vatican II the Church was split into may different factions and each was set in its own belief that they were the ‘one’ true church. After the council however, compromises and cooperation began to develop between the many denominations toward building the Christian community as a whole. Official documents concerning the liturgy and social communication were adopted during this session. The third session began on September 14, 1964 and ended on November 21, 1964 (Rynne 291). A select few religious and lay women were invited to this third session in order to incorporate different sections of the church. Ecumenism, Eastern Rite churches, and the constitution of the Church, missions, and ministries of priests were such topics discusses during this period. The fourth and last, period began on September 14, 1965 and ended on December 8, 1965 (Rynne 450). Issues considered during this period included education, laity (distinguished people not of the clergy), bishops, and religious orders. At the close of the council, the pope declared a jubilee, and asked Catholics to read and study the constitutions and decrees of the council and apply them to their spiritual lives.

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.

Pope Pius IV confirmed all of these decrees passed by the bishops after the closing of the council in 1563 and issued a summary of the main doctrines of the council in the form of a creed. Some of the major decrees were; A new index of forbidden books that was set out to obstruct the spread of heretical ideas . The Roman Catechism, which was a comprehensive overview of the catholic church's beliefs that was established in 1566. This was produced to help priests educate lay people on catholic belief and practices,helping the word be spread around about the newly reformed church and the beliefs it follows. ‘The Inquisition’ was also one of the main decrees bought back from the 13th century. The inquisition

The session in each congregation has responsibility “to guide and govern the life of the congregation, [and] leads the congregation in fulfilling its responsibilities for the service of all people, for the up building of the whole church, and for the glory of God” (G-1.0103). Especially, teaching and ruling elders have responsibility “for a quality of life and relationship that commends the gospel to all person and that communicates its joy and justice” (G-2.0504). Furthermore, they need “to exercise pastoral care, devoting special attention to the poor, the sick, the troubled, and the dying” (G-2.0504). The role of Councils of the church is that “bear testimony against error in doctrine and immorality in life, resolve questions of doctrine and discipline, give counsel in matters of conscience, and decide issues properly brought before them under the provisions of this Book of Order.”

The biggest contribution of John XXIII to the Roman Catholic Church was his action of summoning the first ecumenical cycle in nearly a century. Under three months into becoming pope, John XXIII shocked the world when he declared the creation of the Second Vatican Council (or Vatican II) in January 1959. The council consisted of 2,000 to 2,500 bishops “and thousands of observers, auditors, sisters, laymen, and laywomen.” Between 1962 and 1965, The council produced 16 documents that are considered the foundation “for the church as we know it

The next text is from the 2nd Vatican Council called “Pastoral Constitution,” which focused on bringing the church into modern times. This text focuses on the importance of helping those being marginalized, those who are on the brink of society, and what is the best way that the Church as a community can fight to protect them.

To keep a solid foothold in both political and religious worlds, the Church believed institutional reform was necessary. In 1545, Pope Paul III initiated the Council of Trent, which lasted until 1564. In this council, a group of cardinals was assigned the duty of addressing many controversial issues such as indulgences, corrupt priests and bishops, and other financial abuses.

Many of you might not know that the incredible changes that have taken place in the Catholic world over the past 50 years in the areas of belief, practise and worship are a direct result of the Second Vatican Council, which took place in Rome between 1962 and 1965. But some have argued that the undeniable and revolutionary changes that took place after Vatican II were due to many misrepresentations of the actual teachings of the Council. In this response I will demonstrate from indisputable and well-documented facts that Ecumenism before the Second Vatican Council was always condemned and the Second Vatican Council had no absolute authority to change the Church’s view on Ecumenism and can not be