The Second Vatican Council was “not only meaningful, but necessary,” retired Pope Benedict XVI said in a letter to a conference about his theological work at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Vatican II
Dream of ‘Synodality’ is a Fruit of Vatican II, Cardinal Writes
While the term “synodality” is not found in any of the 16 documents of the Second Vatican Council, the council’s vision and definition of the church is at the heart of what synodality is, said Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops.
Pope Prays For Unity of Church As He Celebrates Anniversary of Vatican II
The Second Vatican Council was the universal Catholic Church’s response to God’s love and to Jesus’ command to feed his sheep, Pope Francis said, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the council’s opening.
Vatican Answers Questions on Limits Regarding Pre-Vatican II Mass
Responding to 11 questions it said had been raised about Pope Francis’ document restricting celebrations of the pre-Vatican II Mass, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments offered a few concessions to bishops but insisted the entire Latin-rite Catholic Church must move toward celebrating only one form of the Mass and sacraments.
At 80, Prejean Still a Witness to What Others Haven’t Seen
Sister Helen Prejean has some advice for Pope Francis, who, six years into his papacy, still encounters resistance to his efforts to shake up the Catholic Church: “Be patient – it takes time!”
Diverting Church Attention
The Tablet (“He’s Not Turning His Back to the People,” Sept. 3) revealed that Cardinal R. Sarah proposed a return to orientation whereby, priest and laity face the altar during Liturgy of the Eucharist. This adds to the existing litany of post-Vatican II objections. Such issues have generated acrimonious debates and even schism.
Influence and Interpretations of Vatican II
“The Long Shadow of Vatican II,” a collection of five essays by five different experts, examines the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council and how its shadow still hovers over the Church 50 years later.
Francis’ Speech at UN Will Be Fifth by a Pope
Pope Francis’ three predecessors who spoke to the General Assembly – Blessed Paul VI, St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI – addressed issues reflecting the great social and political challenges of their era.
Church in Cuba Has Been in Survival Mode
As the Catholic Church opened the Second Vatican Council in 1962, addressing and changing the Church’s relationship with the modern world, the church on the island of Cuba was entering a period of mere survival.
An Oasis of Mercy
Last April 11, at First Vespers of Divine Mercy Sunday (Second Sunday of Easter), Pope Francis presented the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee of Mercy, entitled “Misericordiae Vultus” or “The Face of Mercy.”
