Historical Development of Church –Mission at a
glance
The Church is always called to Renewal
Background: Church was also living and moving
amidst the swiftly changing and modernizing world.
The most recent Ecumenical Councils,
Trent (ended 1563) and Vatican I (1870)
occurred in an era when the Church was
responding to serious schism and attack.
The Vatican I especially denounced various
aspects of modernism, but most notably
declared the doctrine of Papal Infallibility
as dogma.
 Church Reforms initiated by Pope Pius XII
Liturgical reforms of Pope Pius XII and Mediator
Dei
1. The dogma of the Assumption of Our Lady
 The death of Pope Pius XII
Future direction of the Church?
A compromise candidate was chosen
The cardinals choose the 76 year old John XXIII; by
this choice the cardinals made clear they wished a
shorter papacy.
Pope John XXIII - 1958 –elected Pope
He was born in poverty -- and proud of it.
saved the lives of many Jews fleeing the Holocaust.
Pope John XXIII played a key role in the Cuban
Missile Crisis (PEACE)
Pope John XXIII & Vatican II
1. January 25, 1959- calls an ecumenical
(world-wide) council to be held at the
Vatican in order for the Church to address
the needs of the time.
2. October 11, 1962 - opened the Council in a
public session and read the declaration
Gaudet Mater Ecclesia before the Council
Fathers.
3. Sept.29, 1963 - opening address stressed
the pastoral nature of the council.
PURPOSE OF VATICAN II
1. Called by John XXIII, to “open windows and
let the FRESH air in”;
2. to define more fully the nature of the Church
and the role of the bishop;
3. to renew the Church;
4. to restore unity among all Christians,
including seeking pardon for Catholic
contributions to separation;
5. and to start a dialogue with the
contemporary world.
 KEY PRINCIPLES OF VATICAN II:
1. Aggiornamento – Italian word meaning
bringing up-to-date
2. Ressourcement/ Ad Fontes – a returning
to the (Biblical) sources to ensure they
are conformed to a more authentic view
of the past. (original dynamism of the
church)
The Council Meetings
 4 sessions from 1962-1965
 All bishops from around the world+advisors
 Observers were welcomed from Protestant,
Eastern Orthodox churches along with lay
observers.
 The Council Meetings
 Opens with 2,500 participants
John XXIII died in June of ‘63 between the first and
second sessions
 Paul VI continued the work and spirit of the
council.
Pope Paul VI
Pope from June 1963 to August 1978
First pope to travel around the world by
airplane
Pope Paul VI – June 21,1963 to Aug.6,
1978
The pope re-opened the Ecumenical Council on 29
September 1963 giving it four key priorities:
1. A better understanding of the Catholic
Church
2. Church reforms
3. Advancing the unity of Christianity
4. Dialogue with the world
Topics
 The most important topic was clearly the
church itself
This was NOT a council debating the person of
Jesus or the meaning of salvation or the number of
sacraments: rather the focus was on the meaning
and role of the church itself.
Focus areas of Vatican Council II
The Church
Authority in the Church
Ecumenism
Non-Christian Religions
The Church and the World
The Church and the Bible
The Liturgy
Religious Freedom
The Laity
The Church
The Dogmatic constitution on the Church (Lumen
Gentium)
Church NOT defined as the hierarchy but defined
as MYSTERY
And as the PEOPLE of GOD & PILGRIM CHURCH
Holiness is the vocation of all Christians
The hierarchy gains their meaning from the entire
people of God and the mystery of God’s love.
- Authority in the Church
- Affirms the role of the pope as the supreme
head of the Church; but in a new context.
Collegiality: The authority of the pope is seen as
joined with all bishops as those called to authority
in the church.
Sensus Fidei/ Fidelium
(‘sense of the faithful’)
The Magisterium, (Church’s teaching authority)
has the “duty to pay attention to what the Spirit
tells the church through authentic
manifestations of the ‘sense of the faithful’.”
 The Church must pay attention to the
sensus fidelium, or “sense of the faithful”,
when exercising its teaching authority, but
never confuse that sense with popular
opinion on matters of faith.
Ecumenism: The movement within the church
that works toward greater unity among all
Christians
 The Decree on Ecumenism: States that the
church was not limited to the Catholic
Church and that the reasons for the
divisions between Christians came from
both sides of the division.
 The Church and the World  Special respect and understanding should
Very Important> Pastoral Constitution on the be given to the Jews; they are not to be
Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) blamed for the death of Jesus Christ.
From “fortress mentality” > defensive and over  All kinds of persecution and discrimination
protective to an open, dialogical and “listening” are condemned
church
Read signs of the times (SEE-JUDGE-ACT)
 The Church and the World
 Aggiornamento> to update
 The church seeks to UNITE itself with
humanity rather than separate itself from
humanity.
 The church must show how faith should
affect the way that Christians live in the
world.
 Church – leaven of God’s Reign
 The Church and the World
 The church recognizes the importance and
dignity of individual conscience.
 It recognized the advances of science and
culture and taught that such advances need
not threaten the church.
 It encourages a human solidarity in search
of justice and peace on earth.
 The Church and the Bible
(DEI VERBUM)
 We recognize the word of God as the
source of church teaching and theology
 The teaching authority of the church is not
above God’s word but meant to serve it
 “easy access to sacred scripture should be
provided for all the Christian faithful.”
 The Church and the Bible
 The church encourages Scriptural
scholarship
 Scholars are to present their findings to
church authority for guidance and approval
 This new embrace of scripture has and will
continue top renew the spirituality of the
church.
 Through scripture we understand more fully
the Lord.
 Engagement with the Word of God
 St. Jerome
 “ Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of
Christ”
 The Liturgy
(Sacro Sanctum Concilium)
 In an effort to help the faithful more fully
understand the importance of scripture and
Sacrament the church brought about a
renewal in the area of liturgy.
 “all the faithful should be led to that full,
conscious, and active participation in
liturgical celebrations.”

 The church encourages dialogue with them
and respect for their religious and cultural
values.
 This document also addresses the church’s
relationship with Judaism.
 It seeks to eliminate any mentality among
Christians which perpetuates anti-Semitism
 Non-Christian Religions
 The church rejects nothing that is good and
true in other religious faiths.
 Encourages dialogue in the search for
spiritual and moral values