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Second Vatican Council

Meeting from 1962 to 1965, the council addressed the Catholic Church and its relationship to the modern world in an effort to renew the Church and work toward healing the rifts between the Christian faiths. It was here that the requirement to conduct all masses in Latin was relaxed.

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Who was the pope that convened Vatican II?

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Pope Pius IX convened the First Vatican Council which began in 1868.

Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council which began in 1962.

Pope Paul VI reconvened the Second Vatican Council in 1963 after it was suspended due to the death of Pope John.

Pope John had to close the First Vatican Council before opening the Second Council since the First Council was never officially closed by Pius, it ended abruptly, or temporarily suspended because the Franco-Prussian War broke out and the bishops in attendance wanted to return to their diocese. After Rome was captured, Pope Pius permanently suspended the Council but did not close it officially.

Pope John died during the intermission break between the first and second session of the Second Council to which it was suspended. Once Cardinal Giovanni Montini was elected as Pope Paul VI, he reconvened the Second Council and presided over it until its ending in 1965.

What were the chief reforms in the Church from the Second Vatican Council?

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The chief reforms in the church from the second Vatican Council were: the use of the vernacular language instead of Latin in the Holy Mass; the church tabernacle displaced from the central aisle and the usage of revised Eucharistic prayers in the church. There were the direct reforms.

Council of Deans have or Council of Deans has?

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council of deans has. not have. has!

How was it having the service in Latin before the Vatican II?

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The Latin rite in its pre-liturgical reform splendor was described as "the most beautiful thing this side of heaven."

Mass was celebrated in different degrees depending on the occasion. There was Low Mass, High Mass and Pontifical Masses. Low Mass was solemn but without the extra splendor of High Mass: there was no singing, no chanting, no grand procession, no sermon, etc. It was basically the Mass abridged and lasted anywhere from 20 minutes to 30 minutes. Low mass was especially designed for the faithful, that they might be able to attend daily before going to work or school. It was quite common before the 1960s for Catholics to for Catholics to go to Mass daily. This practice is all but extinct as the new mass is designed for communal celebration, which is not feasible for the working person or student. A High Mass was celebrated on Sundays and special celebrations or feasts during the week. The High Mass had incense, chant, Gregorian chant, organ music, often a sermon, a grand procession, more prayers, etc. Pontifical Masses were Masses celebrated with a bishop as the celebrant. Often these were specific to certain sacraments or special occasions. The ceremonies could be incredibly complex. Sermons, when they were given, were often very precise about Catholic theology and morals, and were noted for their strength, for they did not strive to be politically correct or sympathetic to other religions vis a vis the Catholic concept of the truth. The new ecumenical push has dissolved this style of preaching.

Before the liturgical reform, all Latin Rite Masses were celebrated in Latin with the sermon given in the common language and often the Epistle and Gospel reread in the common language as well. This allowed Catholics to participate in the Mass anywhere in the world, for it would always be the same, minus the sermon: it was the same ceremony with the same words all over the world. In the old rite there were no Eucharistic ministers, readers or offertory procession, and the laity participated via singing, Gregorian chant, responses and receiving Communion. The receiving of Holy Communion in the hand was seen as a sacrilege, and was not practiced in the old rite, since the priest's hands alone were anointed to consecrate the Host and thus it was only seen as proper that he handle the sacred species and the containers, such as the chalice. This gave a tremendous gravity to the ceremony and emphasized the role of the priest as mediator and the Mass as a sacrifice.

The old set up had the priest facing the altar, which was often build into the wall of the sanctuary. The tabernacle was enthroned in the altar's center, hence why the priest faced it and not the people as is now the practice. The priest said many more prayers, made many more reverences (kissing the altar, sacred objects, etc.,) and overall the effect was one of great solemnity and sacredness. When there was music it could only be either Catholic hymns or Gregorian chant - often there were pieces in the Mass that were to be sung by a trained choir and others that could be sung by the congregation as they were familiar and often repeated each Sunday. The organ, save for rare exceptions, was the only instrument allowed to be played in church, as its sound was considered the most noble and inspiring.

After Vatican II the Mass was reformed in ways that lost the luster of its sacred character. In order to involve the laity to a further degree, the altar was shifted to the center of the sanctuary, that the priest might now address the people. Tabernacles were sent to a side alcove, to be referenced only when needed. The crucifix on the altar was also removed and often hung behind the priest on the wall - a move the old rite would not allow in principle. Eucharistic ministers and readers were introduced and the restrictions on handling the sacred species - despite never being revoked - were ignored until it became a fait accompli. The Mass is now regarded more as a community meal than a holy sacrifice with the emphasis on the people not the sacrifice of the altar and the priest's role has developed into a sort of master of ceremonies. The music quality has dropped significantly - Gregorian chant is almost gone and whole bands have been introduced to play music that emphasizes God's love and very rarely anything else. The liturgical calendar has also been redone, and many of the liturgical seasons and customs proper to certain places have fallen into obscurity. Things such as novelty masses, dancing, etc., would never be permitted in the old rite which saw the church space as sacred, and hence quiet and propriety in voice and dress were honoured.

The new Mass was purposely modeled to be more ecumenical, hence Archbishop Bugnini modified it with the aid of 6 Protestant ministers and a Jewish representative. Hence the visible character of the Mass differs little now from many organized Protestant ceremonies. Because of these reasons, there are some religious congregations, such as the Society of Saint Pius X, The Society of Saint Peter, etc., who came into existence solely to uphold the old ways. Due to the moral pressure of Catholics who reject the new way of Mass as unfulfilling and spiritually desiccated, Rome finally publicly acknowledged that the old rite was never formally abrogated and that any priest may celebrate it. Many bishops, whose indult used to be required before the old Mass could be said in the their dioceses, are not pleased with Rome making this acknowledgment and continue to make it difficult for priests to celebrate the old rite, at least publicly. As well, the classic Catholic community that used to center around the church is largely gone accept for hardcore cliques. Catholic communities used to be built around the church and the school, but since Catholic schools now rarely have mass, and daily mass is rarely done at church, Catholics only congregate on Sundays and have lost the sense of spiritual family that was so well noted of them throughout the centuries.

How many attended the Second Vatican Council?

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The second vatican council was attended by representatives from many churches including bishops, priests, etc.

The Vatican had over 2600 Bishops and another addition to theologians and other experts, adding up to 3000. It consisted of;

  • 1089 bishops from Europe
  • 489 bishops from South America
  • 404 bishops from North America
  • 374 bishops from Asia
  • 296 bishops from Africa
  • 84 bishops from Central America
  • 75 bishops from Oceania, , which included Papua New Guinea, The Solomon Islands, New Zealand and Australia
  • 63 observers from other Christian Churches
  • 52 lay men and women over the whole four years.
Catholic AnswerThe main participants in the Council, and the only voting members were the Bishops of the Catholic Church. They, however, brought with them a number of theological experts, the current Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, was one of these experts at the Vatican Council. Also invited were various observers from other religions, including our separated brethren in the East, and protestants, who attended as observers, which was quite a break with earlier Councils, although the Lutherans were invited to the Council of Trent in the 16th century, they refused to attend.

Was the Lord's Prayer part of the Mass before Vatican II?

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Yes, it was. It was often recited in Latin.

Who organised the council of barabhais?

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who organised council of barabhais

What goes on in Vatican 2?

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All the bishops in the world met in the Vatican, at St. Peter's Basilica off and on for three years beginning in 1962 through 1965. They discussed and vote on various documents, which then had to be approved by the reigning Pope, and were published. You can see the documents at the link below, and pictures of the Council at the second link.

Where is the Bar Council located?

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The Bar Council is located in several different countries. The most well-known of the locations is in London. The other locations are in Ireland and Malaysia.

Why was the Vatican II set up?

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The council addressed issues of modernizing the church.

How long did Vatican II last?

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Vatican II lasted approximately 3 years: 1962-1965.

What are some of the significant contributions made by Vatican II to the world?

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A:

The Second Vatican Council made its most significant contribution to the world outside the Church itself, by declaring that the Catholic Church does not hold the right to determine what non-Catholics should believe, how they should worship or what religious instructions their children should receive. It declared that all persons have a right to worship as they please, even in countries where the Catholic Church the majority religion, and that the state should not interfere in religious observance.

The previous declarations on these issues were contained in the Syllabus of Errors, issued by Pius IX in 1864, in response to the Enlightenment. It was considered by Catholic theologians as having binding force, although opinion was divided as to whether each and every statement defined in the Syllabus as false was infallibly false. It condemned as false statements requiring separation of Church and state, as well as all statements in support of religious freedom. In states where Catholics are in the minority, they have the right to public worship. In states where others faiths are in the minority, they have no right to public worship because only the true faith has the right to public worship.

Perez Zagorin (How the Idea of Religious Toleration Came to the West) considers the Declaration on Religious Freedom, passed by the Council in December 1965, to be an accomplishment of world importance. It signified a complete reversal of the Catholic Church's former inimical attitude to toleration and announced its adherence to religious freedom as a universal principle and contemporary obligation and necessity. Fiercely debated and meeting with considerable resistance from some Vatican officials and a number of bishops, it states, "the human person has a right to religious freedom." It asserts that all men are to be immune from coercion by individuals, social groups, or any human power, so that "In matters religious no one is forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs. Nor is anyone to be restrained from acting in accordance with his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits." Furthermore, "the right of parents are violated, if their children are forced to attend lessons or instructions which are not in agreement with their religious beliefs."

The Declaration also acknowledged that the Church had acted at times in ways "which were less in accord with the gospel and even opposed to it," but does not express any contrition or apology for the Church's record of religious persecution.

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AnswerAccording to the last couple popes, the most significant contributions made by the Second Vatican Council are still to be realized. The Council started with some wonderful work on the Sacred Liturgy, but, almost in total, their recommendations have been totally ignoring. In the second year, the Church addressed the issues of the means of social communication, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, the Decree on the Eastern Churches, and the Decree on Ecumenism. Probably this last has had a significant contribution as the Church has reached out to the Orthodox and to her separated brethren in the protestant ecclesial communities. One thing that is very evident fifty years after this great Council is the fact that the Church most definitely does not operate on modern "fast time". After every major Council in the Church it has taken nearly a century for the dust to settle, and I would contend that it is just starting to now. I would not look to understand the Council's significant contributions for another thirty years or so. Most of the things that have happened in the Church in the last fifty years have not been contributions of the Council, most people have never read the documents and are only going on what "common wisdom" has said.