Responding to the Second Vatican Council

Abstract

This quotation captures well the great change that took place within the Catholic Church in the early 1960s. By the late 1950s, it seemed as if nothing short of a great shock would be required to shift it out of its authoritarian, hierarchical, and dogmatic approach in its dealings with both the laity and those in religious life. The shock came, however, when Pope John XXIII announced the convening of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican 2), which, between 1962 and 1965, brought together 2,500 bishops from around the world to deliberate. The result “was nothing short of revolutionary, profoundly affecting virtually every aspect of Catholic life.” ² This chapter commences with an overview on how the changes brought about by this momentous initiative in the history of the church, while radical, were preceded by developments over the previous 70 years, which indicated that the church was on a path of starting to open up to the modern world. It goes on to outline a set of educationally relevant principles that emerged from the council. This is followed by a consideration of specific education declarations. Finally, attention is given to how the religious, including teaching brothers, were redefined by the council, and the implications this had for education.

The strategy of suppression or intransigence which had been ruthlessly followed for over half a century since the condemnation of modernism was beginning to break down. The Vatican Council’s emphasis on collegiality and participation by all the “people of God” can be seen as indicating a shift within a changing world to an “organic” management structure with far more emphasis on lateral consultation than vertical command … There was a movement away from a legalistic following of institutional rules and regulations to a concern with how Christians were to live fully human and liberated lives.¹