The Second Vatican Council And The Future Of The Church

Roles of the Catholic Church in Western civilization has been scrambled with the times past and development of Western society. Regardless of the fact that the West is no longer entirely Catholic, the Catholic tradition is still strong in Western countries. The church has been a very important foundation of public facilities like schooling, Western art, culture and philosophy; and influential player in religion. In many ways it has wanted to have an impact on Western approaches to pros and cons in numerous areas. It has over many periods of time, spread the teachings of Jesus within the Western World and remains a foundation of continuousness connecting recent Western culture to old Western culture.-

This essay will identify and examine the significance of the Roman Catholic Church’s influence and governance over Europe throughout the Middle Ages. For the purposes of this essay, the Middle Ages refers to the period between the Conversion of Constantine in 313CE and the onset of the Renaissance Period during the early 14th century. In addition, this essay will examine and account for change in the institution and theology of the Roman Catholic Church. It will identify the nature and importance of continuity and the diversity of causes and outcomes of the Church’s influence through a range of historical perspectives.

Vatican II was called to bring renewal, unity, and relevance and openness to the Church, at the request of Pope John XXIII and by necessity of modern times. This council was gathered and envisioned as a “new Pentecost” (Albergio, 10), for the Council held the objective of renewing and updating the Church in order to have a more relevant and effective role in the modern world. This updating would, and did, increase the Church’s voice and involvement in the universal church increasing unity and ecumenical

Shaw, Russell. "Did We Really Need Vatican II?" Did We Really Need Vatican II? | Catholic

Gaudium et Spes, Second Vatican Council, 1965 Vatican II’s The Church in the Modern World is seen by many to be the most important document in the Church’s social tradition. The Council emphasizes the importance of the Church in dialogue with the world. It states that change characterizes the world. The Council expresses a longing to engage in conversation with the entire human family, so that the Church can shed light on the human mystery and cooperate in solving current problems. It addresses this to Catholics, to all Christians, and to the whole humanity. It focuses on the human person as the starting point for all society and its structures culturally, economically, and politically. The Council states that the modern would shows itself

His vision was not restricted to the various components of Christianity but a diverse range of faiths. This was a significant aspect of societal unification post World War 2. Pope John XXIII stated that the unity of the church was a compelling motive for his calling of the council. Pope John XXII met with intellectuals from other denominations during the sessions of the councils to create mutual relations acknowledging and bring together Christian Unity. “Today, in many parts of the world, under the inspiring grace of the Holy Spirit, many efforts are being made in prayer, word and action to attain the fullness of unity which Jesus Christ desires”. As a result, the Christian faith was renewed and revitalised, guided with a new direction towards modernising the church to cater for its

Catholicism is one of the largest denominations, or branches, of Christianity, holding approximately 1.2 billion followers around the world, myself included. (“How Many Roman Catholics are There in the World?”) Although Catholicism and Christianity are largely similar, it is the differences that are extremely important in setting them apart. These differences include acceptance by God through following Jesus or living a good life, and how God tells us to live which is either through the Bible or the Pope. Even though I am not a devout Catholic, nor will this paper even be about Catholicism, my ignorance towards the differences between the religions allow for my approach on religion to be misled, much like many others. In many cases, society is given a misleading approach towards religion because there are overstatements, stereotypes, and one-sided arguments made and placed onto them, such as those in Jainism.

People often say that if from the inception of the Catholic Church, she had taught and proclaimed the truth, then why would the Church hold a Council to change all of what the Catholic Church held to be true. It would seem then that Vatican II would be contrary to Church teaching over the century’s. This disingenuous view was contrary to what Vatican II did nor embodied the content. One can see notable instances of continuity in the Church’s teaching on major issues through the Council and its documents. The Council did materialize for a reason. Pope John XXIII was seeking a breath of fresh air in the Church, to let the spirit blow in. Our Holy Father was looking for engagement with mundanity, which up to now, was treated as if it was

While no changes were made to the doctrinal structure of the Church following Vatican II, Pope Paul did promulgate one new doctrine, which asserts that “Mary is the Mother of the Church.”

Vatican II made five notable contributions to the reform of the church. Those contributions were the reform of the liturgy, the self-understanding of the church as “the people of God”, relations with other Christian churches and with non-Christian religions, the churches

The arrival of Pope Francis as the successor of Peter has made a revolution within the Universal Church, because he has refreshed and given a new impetus and a new turn to the vision and proclamation of the Gospel. With Pope Francis we see the living proclamation of the Gospel. Pope Francis takes the merciful view that the Church should have. “Indeed, Francis’s Church wants to be recognized first of all as the house of mercy that, between human weakness and God’s patience, welcomes and helps find the ‘good news’ of the great Christian hope” (Preface, xi). He wants to present a Church that it can be seen as a mother, a teacher and who can also be a friend; a Church where forgiveness and reconciliation are the cornerstones to find peace, brotherhood and the love that Christians lose when they don’t allow the grace of God to guide them. His vision of the Universal Church is of a church that embodies the physical or moral sufferings of those living in distress and marginalization.

The second vatican council was the 21st representative of different catholic churches recognised by the Roman catholic church. It was organised by Pope John the thirteenth on January 25, 1959 in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican city, Rome and existed until 1965. It’s purpose was to renew the spiritual relations of the church so that they may reconsider the church practises and also pray with other denominations (A religious denomination is a secondary group within a certain religion that abides under a common name, tradition, and identity). The Second Vatican council was extremely important as it offered change to the churches which allowed it to evolve and grow with the world. Many documents had to be signed by an assembly of Roman Catholic church leaders.

For centuries the Vatican has occupied a unique position in history, exercising both sacred and secular power in activities that have generated as much fascination as controversy. Yet, for most people it remains a mysterious institution. One whose motives and maneuvers are not easily understood. From the struggles of the very first Christians to the challenges and scandals of today, the Catholic Church has wrestled with how to organize itself, express its beliefs, and nurture its members. The church has grown from a handful of disciples in the first century to over one billion members in the twenty-first, resulting in profound changes that demand a theological response. A candid but rational inquiry into the progress and establishment of Christianity may be considered a very essential part of the history of the Roman Empire and the rise and fall of the papacy.

During the course of Foundations of Reflection: God, my mission is to appreciate and learn the history and advances of the Christian Church. As students, we analyze cultural texts and describe meaningful events to develop an answer to “who,” “what,” and “why” there is a transcendent God. This composition will focus the historical-social context, ecclesial context, and modifications to the Church that occurred from three critical events; Fall of the Roman Empire, World War II, and the Celebration of the Holy Year by Pope John Paul II. The selected episodes are key in the history of the development of the church and provide insights of the church- politically, socially, and more importantly, religiously.

In the beginning of the tenth century the Church was in search of a spiritual revival. “Church reform began as a way to free the church from the world, but in the end the church was thoroughly involved in the new world it had helped create” (Hunt 321). The church attempted to free itself from secular entanglements. Since the beginning people believed that rulers were given the right to govern and control the churches from God himself. However, by the mid eleventh century the people preferred the church reform to be led by the papacy instead of secular power. This reform movement aimed to transform the structure of the church during the middle age and in turn influencing the history of religion and