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Question asked at Sonfest ’04:
"I do not feel able to accept the rulings of the Second Vatican Council. Is this gravely sinful?"
-Dori
Dear Dori:
The Second Vatican Council, often referred to as 'Vatican II', was the twenty-first ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. It opened on October 11, 1962, at St Peter's Basilica in Rome, and lasted three years. The word 'ecumenical' in this sense means 'universal', and an ecumenical council involves all the bishops of the worldwide Church. Pope John XXIII gave the approximately 2500 bishops a threefold mandate of renewal, modernization, and ecumenism. 'Ecumenism' refers to the fostering of the unity among Christians, "that they may all be one." (John: 17:21)..
You are probably aware that you are not alone in being uncomfortable with some aspect or other of how the Church has changed since Vatican II. Indeed, there are a number of organized groups of Catholics created mainly in response to Vatican II. Some of these groups seek to reverse or modify many of the changes, others have moved into schism by rejecting Vatican II outright, while still others believe that Vatican II did not go nearly far enough and desire even greater change.
Pope Benedict addressed this situation when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, and Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Below is an extract from an interview in which he sums up the opposition to Vatican II, while highlighting the Second Vatican Council's faithfulness to the teachings of previous Church Councils:
"Vatican II today stands in a twilight. For a long time it has been regarded by the so-called progressive wing as completely surpassed and, consequently, as a thing of the past, no longer relevant to the present. By the opposite side, the 'conservative' wing, it is, conversely, viewed as the cause of the present decadence of the Catholic Church and even judged as an apostasy from Vatican I and from the Council of Trent. Consequently demands have been made for its retraction or for a revision that would be tantamount to a retraction.
It is impossible ('for a Catholic') to take a position for Vatican II but against Trent or Vatican I. Whoever accepts Vatican II, as it has been clearly expressed and understood itself, at the same time accepts the whole binding tradition of the Catholic Church, particularly the two previous Councils. And that also applies to the so-called 'progressivism', at least in its extreme forms. It is likewise impossible to decide in favour of Trent and Vatican I, but against Vatican II. Whoever denies Vatican II denies the authority that upholds the other two Councils and thereby detaches them from their foundation. And this applies to the so called 'traditionalism', also in its extreme forms. Every partisan choice destroys the whole which can exist only as an indivisible unity.
Over against both tendencies, before all else, it must be stated that Vatican II is upheld by the same authority as Vatican I and the Council of Trent, namely, the Pope and the College of Bishops in communion with him, and that also with regard to its contents, Vatican II is in the strictest continuity with both previous councils and incorporates their texts word for word in decisive points." (The Ratzinger Report,1985)
The Second Vatican Council produced sixteen documents, as follows:
1. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church 2. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation 3.Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy 4.Constitution on the Church in the Modern World 5. Decree on the Instruments of Social Communication 6. Decree on Ecumenism 7. Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches 8. Decree on the Bishops' Pastoral Office in the Church 9. Decree on Priestly Formation 10.Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of the Religious Life 11. Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity 12. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests 13. Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity 14. Declaration on Religious Education 15. Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions 16. Declaration on Religious Freedom.
You do not state in your question which aspect or aspects of Vatican II you reject, but it would be worthwhile for you to read a little of what the Council actually wrote, if you haven't already done so. The Council documents can be purchased in inexpensive paperback format, or can often to be found in your local parish or community library. The documents are also be available on some websites, including the Vatican website http://www.vatican.va/
Many Catholics, especially older ones, experienced the Vatican II changes most profoundly in the liturgy, particularly in the Mass. There is no doubt, in the first flush of change that followed Vatican II, a certain over-exuberance on the part of some clergy led to abuses in the liturgy. The Catholic writer Anne Muggeridge describes certain incidents, which, though not necessarily typical, were part of a disturbing trend familiar to many Catholics:
"Ritual postures were reversed. At small-group Masses, priests sat with the congregation around a table instead of standing at an altar; congregations were forced to stand at times when they had previously had to kneel. The altar itself was displaced, and replaced by a table, though no Vatican II or post-Conciliar directive required this. The 'Clown Mass' became popular, priests climbing into motley on every possible occasion. The Catholic chaplaincy at the University of Buffalo staged a Hallowe'en 'Mass' with both celebrant and congregation in costume...The chaplaincy for the Catholic community at the University of Toronto dressed as clowns, addressed the congregation through hand-puppets, and danced at student Masses." (Anne Muggeridge, The Desolate City, 1986)
It is unlikely today that you are encountering liturgies quite so extreme, but if your difficulties with Vatican II centre on what you are convinced is an abuse of the liturgy, you should most certainly read the entire 7000-word Council document, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Although some passages are a little general, resulting in diverse interpretations, you may be surprised to find differences in what you have been told the Council taught, and what the Council actually taught.
Together, the Pope and the bishops in assembly constitute the highest teaching authority of the Church, so you can probably deduce for yourself that wilfully to reject such authority would separate you from the Church in a very serious manner. At the conclusion of each document of Vatican II, there is a statement by Pope Paul VI emphasizing the collegial unity of the Pope and the bishops in approving the documents:
"Each and every one of the things set forth in this (here the type of document is named) has won the consent of the fathers. We too, by the Apostolic Authority conferred on us by Christ, join with the venerable Fathers in approving, decreeing, and establishing these things in the Holy Spirit, and we direct that what has thus been enacted in Synod be published to God’s glory…I, Paul, Bishop of the Catholic Church."
At the close of the Council, the following words read on behalf of Pope Paul VI convey the expected response from the faithful:
"We decide moreover that all that has been established synodally is to be religiously observed by all the faithful (our italics), for the glory of God and the dignity of the Church… we have approved and established these things, decreeing that the present letters are and remain stable and valid, and are to have legal effectiveness, so that they be disseminated and obtain full and complete effect..." (December 8, 1965)
The argument is sometimes put forward that no infallible pronouncements were made during Vatican II, and certainly the words of Pope Paul VI seem to support this:
"There are those who ask what authority, what theological qualification the Council intended to give to its teachings, knowing that it avoided issuing solemn dogmatic definitions engaging the infallibility of the ecclesiastical Magisterium. The answer is known by whoever remembers the conciliar declaration of March 6, 1964, repeated on November 16, 1964: given the Council’s pastoral character, it avoided pronouncing, in an extraordinary manner, dogmas endowed with the note of infallibility." (Paul VI, General Audience of January 12, 1966)
Even if we accept that the Council made no infallible pronouncements, however, it is still a serious act of disobedience, a sin in fact, to ignore or reject the Church's non-infallible teachings. When Pope Paul VI stated "that all that has been established synodally is to be religiously observed by all the faithful," he is reminding us that all the teachings and admonitions of the Church are worthy of reverence. The Catechism speaks of the assent required of all Catholics:
Divine assistance is also given to the successors of the apostles, teaching in communion with the successor of Peter, and, in a particular way, to the bishop of Rome, pastor of the whole Church, when, without arriving at an infallible definition and without pronouncing in a "definitive manner" (our italics),they propose in the exercise of the ordinary Magisterium a teaching that leads to better understanding of Revelation in matters of faith and morals. To this ordinary teaching the faithful "are to adhere to it with religious assent" (our italics) which, though distinct from the assent of faith, is nonetheless an extension of it (Catechism:892).
Again, it is important to focus on exactly what the Council wrote and actually intended, rather than to focus on certain interpretations of Council documents that you believe are unacceptable or damaging to the faith. No one is asking you to shut down your critical faculties, however, and you should feel free to express your views in a respectful manner as the need arises. Nevertheless, give the Council what theologians call assensus religiosus; that is, the religious assent of mind and will, trusting that Holy Mother Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, possesses "the fullness of the means of salvation." (The Second Vatican Council: Decree on Ecumenism).
In all of this you should try to maintain a sense of balance and perspective, challenging though it may be at times. It is worth remembering that from the first days of the Church, in the earliest Christian communities, there were difficulties and disagreements. If at times you feel the Church is being let down by some within its own ranks, remember that Jesus himself hand-picked the very man who was to betray him to the authorities. Even at the Last Supper, not long before his journey to Calvary where he was to die for our sins, Jesus had to put up with a petty dispute among the Apostles as to which one of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24). Later we learn from Paul about discord in the Church at Corinth (1 Cor 1:10-12), and hear complaints from John about those who spread false teaching (2 John 10) and who were claiming the most important places in the Church (3 John 9-10). Others were initially upset with Peter for visiting and eating with the uncircumcised (Acts 11:1-4), and the controversy over the conversion of the Gentiles engaged the entire Christian community in considerable argument and discussion until a satisfactory resolution was eventually reached (Acts 15: 1-35). And who can forget Paul and Barnabas having a "sharp disagreement" (Acts 15: 36-40) about the value of John Mark as a companion, and parting company.
The People of God are very much flesh-and-blood human beings with a fallen nature, and the Church's survival over two millennia speaks very much to the fact that the Church is indeed a Divine Institution. When things appear dark, remember Christ's promise to Peter, our first Pope, that the "gates of hell shall not prevail" against the Church (Matthew 16:18), and that he himself will be with us "even to the end of time" (Matthew. 28:20).
Pray to the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance. Your Catholic faith is a treasure. Do not abandon it. As Catholic writer Anne Muggeridge asks: Where else is there to go?
" It is more than ever important for defenders of the Church...to remember, as patience wears thin and charity with it, what every deathbed must remind us--that the purpose of the Christian life is first and foremost the imitation of Christ, that the Lord will judge not the number of our successes but the purity of our witness. Everything temporal, no matter how useful, should be seen in the light of eternity." (The Desolate City, 1986)
God bless,
Father Norbert