Why Vatican II Was The Best Thing To Happen To The Catholic Church In Recent History

Not many people-- even devout Catholics-- realize the impact the Second Vatican Council had on the Church.

Some people think Vatican II ruined the Church-- or worse, that it didn't change it that much. Those people are, to put it bluntly, wrong.

Vatican II was an ecumenical council that issued 16 documents and was the most monumental event in recent Church history

It all started with this cute little guy...

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was elected pope on October 28, 1958 as an interim pope because he was humble and unsuspecting. He took the name John XXIII.

But then something shocking happened! John XXIII announced the Second Vatican Council!

It was going to be an ecumenical council and focus on changing the Church to adapt to the modern world.

Some people did NOT want change

They wanted to keep the church in its old ways

These people were conservatives and thought the Church was immutable-- that is, unchanging. God is immutable, they thought, therefore the Church is immutable.

Although the progressives were stoked!

But John XXIII and Pope Paul VI, his successor, had different ideas

No no. Only God, Himself, is unchanging. It's important to consider the modern world to see how they-- the laity-- understand the Church

You see at the time, the Church-- from liturgy to laity, from structure to ideology-- was VERY different.

It was so different, in fact, that people born after Vatican II would not recognize the mass-- you know, if they went back in time using a time machine.

What was so different about it?

Well for starters mass was said facing AWAY from the congregation. It's like the lay people weren't even there.

Moreover, the mass was said in LATIN.

Yeah, that's right: Latin. A dead language. Good luck trying to figure out what's going on.

Well, luckily, the Holy Spirit guided the Church to Vatican II and the liturgy was changed so that now mass could be said in the vernacular!!

AND the mass was now said facing the congregation!!

Back then, the Church was structured in a pyramid, or CEO, model of hierarchy

Although the laity made up the majority of the Church, they had tiny roles and were too inferior to develop a friendly relationship with those "above them"

The Church was very juridical, clerical, and triumphalistic.

People thought that everything the pope uttered was infallible and truthful. If he had said God likes Dunkins more than Starbucks, you better believe Catholics would stop buying Starbucks.

But now we follow a Communio model of Church! Everyone is important and the laity can contribute their opinions.

And these old obnoxious/expensive regal attire? We don't do that anymore!

Well for the most part....

(*Cough cough* Raymond Burke)

Back then there was papal absolutism. Was that the way of the early Church?

NO! We took a look at the New Testement Church and realized we should probably employ a system of collegiality.

Oh yeah, did we mention the Church then was kind of... well...antisemitic.?

Yeah. Basically the Roman Catholic Church was the one true Church of Christ, the Kingdom on Earth etc. and if you weren't Catholic, well, you had something else coming for you...

We didn't even get along with other Christians!

*facepalm*

God sent the Holy Spirit to tell us that we had it all wrong!

Thank God! Vatican II came out with documents like Nostra Aetate, Declaration On the Relation Of the Church to Non-Christian Religions and Dignitatis Humanae, Declaration On Religious Freedom, which changed so much!

Now Catholics could attend non-Catholic weddings, pray with other Christian friends, and the Church could have great inter religious dialogue-- none of which were possible before Vatican II!

Even better, we learned that the Roman Catholic Church is not equal to the Church of Christ. Rather, the Church of Christ subsists in the Roman Catholic Church.

We all have defects!

BUT that doesn't mean you can't evangelize!

Still spread the Good News, just be more thoughtful and considerate.

But because everyone is different, teaching theology requires meeting people where they already are.

Aren't you so glad Vatican II happened?

That doesn't mean that the Church before Vatican II was bad. It was okay for the people at the time, it just needed to change with the times.

Of course there's still plenty more that could be changed in the future

Perhaps an eventual Vatican III?

We can thank John XXIII for allowing the Holy Spirit to guide the Church

Horray for Vatican II!!