Catholic Church History and the Vatican Council

The Vatican Council and Modern Initiatives

In the first half of the twentieth century, a series of moves and initiatives raised the need for a council. The most important factors were:

• The revaluation of the Eucharist as the center of Christian life.
• The introduction of missals and biblical translations.
• A resurgence of studies addressing social unrest.
• The emergence of prestigious Catholic intellectuals in the worlds of philosophy and literature.
• The opening of the Church to non-Western cultures.
• The emergence of the laity in the mission of evangelization through the world of work and family.
• The flowering of the ecumenical spirit, as Catholics and believers of other Christian denominations took steps toward unity.

Interior Renovation of the Church

• The revival of ancient religious orders that had almost disappeared in previous times.
• The birth of new orders, congregations, and religious institutions. Throughout the century, about 400 were founded for various purposes, with most devoted to caring for the sick, the elderly, and education wherever there was a need.
• The definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary in 1854, which facilitated devotion to her.
• The birth of the Social Doctrine of the Church, which is the reflection from faith on the problems that afflict society in order to illuminate the path to be followed by Christians.
• The Vatican Council I.

The Enlightenment and the Age of Reason

Enlightenment ideas are based on reason and deny everything that is not provable; they are opposed to any revealed religion. The French Revolution abolished the privileges of the nobility and clergy, proclaimed the rights of man and citizen, and showed a hostile attitude toward the Church.

With the development of science and technology, the intellectuals of the time were convinced that humans could know and master the forces of nature. There was a confidence in intelligence and a claim that, by the light of reason, ignorance was left behind. From this moment, reason would shine. This thinking originated the movement called the Illustration (Enlightenment).