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There is currently 1 name in this directory beginning with the letter V.
Vatican Council II (“Vatican II” for short)
Convoked in 1962 by Pope John XXIII to bring the Catholic Church “up to date,” this 21st Ecumenical (i.e. world-wide) Council signaled the Catholic Church’s growth from a church of cultural confinement (largely European) to a genuine world church. The Council set its seal on the work of 20th century theologians that earlier had often been officially considered dangerous or erroneous. Thus, the biblical movement, the liturgical renewal, and the lay* movement were incorporated into official Catholic doctrine and practice. Here are several significant new perspectives coming from the Council: celebration of liturgy (worship) in various vernacular languages rather than Latin, to facilitate understanding and lay* participation; viewing the Church as “the whole people of God” rather than just as clergy and viewing other Christian bodies (Protestant, Orthodox) as belonging to it; recognizing non-Christian religions as containing truth; honoring freedom of conscience as a basic human right; and finally including in its mission a reaching out to people in all their human hopes, needs, sufferings as an essential part of preaching the gospel. Today, Catholics are seriously divided on the question of Vatican II, some (“conservatives”) considering it to have failed by giving away essentials of tradition and others (“liberals”) feeling it has been too little and too imperfectly realized.