Review article

Reading and Understanding The Second Vatican Council

Nediljko Ante Ančić orcid.org/0000-0001-5546-832X ; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Split

Abstract

The current Council jubilee encourages us to reflect with appreciation on the deep richness revealed by the Council. We are also bound by a new decisiveness to continue the realisation of its various innovative guidelines and identify the numerous normative inspirations for the Church's path in modern times. Today, there exist various views on the Second Vatican Council and on controversial interpretation of its documents. Consequently, in our religious and ecclesial attempts in correctly understanding and implementing of the Council, it is necessary to keep in mind certain criteria offered by theology in order to faithfully comprehend the Council message and acknowledge its true intentions. The author formulates and presents some of the more important hermeneutic criteria.
Firstly, the new approach by the Second Vatican Council can perhaps best be described in the following terms: present renewal (aggiornamento), the Church's pastoral orientation and the signs of the times. The present renewal or modernisation means opening the Church in terms of dialogue with modern man and solidarity with contemporary man. The Church's pastoral orientation is to interpret the Gospel in relation to its historical context and to man in his actual individual and social essence. In the events and experiences of actual history (»signs of the times«) we recognize new possibilities of Gospel interpretation not seen until now. Secondly, the Council is the beginning of a new epoch for the Church. When compared with previous ecumenical councils, called to decide on questions related to doctrine and ecclesiastical discipline, the Second Vatican Council understood that the Church was to move from the post-Tridentine period into the Modern Age of proclamation and witnessing.
Thirdly, the Council's specific feature relates to the many released documents as well as their topical variety. The documents contain various perspectives and are multi-tiered, presenting mutual tension between various sections. Consequently, particular expressions can only be understood when viewed as a whole, just as the spirit of entirety (»spirit of the Council«) is conceptualised in particular detail. The fourth point indicates the abandoning of the previous practice of excommunication. On the contrary, the Council introduces a new style of teaching rhetoric based on dialogue and cooperation with non-Catholic Christians, other religions and all people of good will. Inspired by the Holy Scriptures, patristic theology and theological tradition, the Council broke away from many of its previous teaching stances and normative interpretations. Furthermore, the Council advanced in the understanding and interpretation of faith. The fifth point concludes that the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World »Joy and Hope« (Gaudium et Spes) presents something new and in the opinion of many, is the most successful document of the Second Vatican Council. The Council replaces the previous dualistically burdened formulations in communication between the Church and the world with a new openness to world reality giving recognition to autonomy in secular fields. The Council fathers were aware that their rhetoric on certain aspects of contemporary life and human society contained »time-conditioned elements«. Gaudium et Spes is a hermeneutical key for a complete interpretation of the Council.
Based on the mentioned criteria, the Second Vatican Council cannot be considered a conclusion to the epochal ecclesiastical renewal processes but instead is a guideline for the start of a present renewal of the Church presented as a continual task in the historical journey of the People of God.

Keywords

Second Vatican Council; applying the Council; criteria for interpretation; present renewal (aggiornamento); pastoral orientation; signs of the times

Hrčak ID:

24442

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/24442

Publication date:

21.2.2006.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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