Q’s from the Pews: Documents of Vatican II (Snippets –Vol 1/9): August 10, 2025

July 28th began our formal study of the Documents of Vatican II suggested by Pope Francis. Since many of you cannot attend the formal classes, I will provide you with some snippets from the classes.

Volume I:Twenty-one ecumenical councils have occurred in the Catholic Church. The 20 councils prior to Vatican II, from the Council of Jerusalem in AD 50 through Vatican I in 1870, were convened to address a controversy or heresy concerning dogma or doctrinal beliefs. Unlike these councils, Vatican II was convened to address how the Church should spread the Gospel in the modern world by engaging the “signs of the times” with the “authentic tradition” of the Church. Vatican I convened to address 10 major heresies emerging in the 19th century. These included rationalism, modernism, socialism, communism, and liberalism (modern relativism). It countered these in the dogmatic constitution Dei Filius. These heresies included an attack on the authority of the Church in the realms of faith and moral teaching. Thus the second constitution of Vatican I, Pater Aeternus, affirmed the authority vested in Apostolic succession, especially the concept of infallibility of the Magisterium and the Pope. Vatican I ended abruptly in Sept of 1870 – 11 months after convening, when the Papal states were overrun during the Franco-Prussian war. Vatican I was suspended before five additional documents were completed. These are: The Church of Christ: on the nature of the Church; Christian Marriage: addressing marriage; Church Discipline: including the roles of bishops and clergy, seminary training, sermons, catechism, marriage impediments, and moral reforms; Religious Orders: regulations and decrees concerning religious communities; and Oriental Rites and Missions: addressing the Eastern Catholic Churches and missionary efforts.