50th Anniversary of Vatican II
When the Second Vatican Council opened 50 years ago this month, many called it the most important religious event of the 20th century. The council expanded church teaching on ecumenism and religious freedom, and had a major impact on liturgy and church life. But its repercussions reached far beyond the Catholic Church. The accomplishments and shortcomings of Vatican II. Listen to the Diane Rehm Radio Show on this.
For the global mission of the Church, Vatican II began a path that is extremely important. There are two documents that are significant. The first is the Mission of the Church to the Modern World. Here is a wonderful resource from the Maryknoll Missioners about the thinking of the Church on mission in the world because of Vatican II. See it here. The original document can be seen there.
The second document is how Catholics see themselves in relationship to other faiths. A good resource to understand this is here. The original document is here. Since Vatican II deeper thinking based on practical pastoral issues in the missions in the world, ushered by Pope John Paul II, can be seen in the following documents: Dialogue and Proclamation and a major teaching on the global mission of the Church today.
If you have the courage to look at this stuff, what do you think about it? Share with us your thoughts and prayers in the comments section.
