Vatican Ii

How has Vatican II’s understanding of Church affected the day-day experience of Catholics?

Vatican II, one of the most important councils in church history, profoundly changed the structures and practices of the church. It sought, in the words of Pope John XXIII, “to bring the church up to date,” and many of the council’s decrees did bring the church into the modern world, and therefore, to some degree, alter the day-to-day experience of Catholics. Although reforms were welcomed by many, they produced internal disruptions greater than any known since the Protestant Reformation. Some have argued that the council did not go far enough, while others have maintained that its reforms went too far, too fast. In the decades following the council, liberal and conservative Catholics were divided over the interpretation of its decrees. This essay will examine some of the changes in detail and explore how they have altered the day-to-day experience of Catholics.

In accordance with Vatican II, the Roman Catholic Church officially abandoned its ‘one true church’ position and entered into ecumenical conversations with other churches with the hope of establishing greater Christian unity. Vatican II also made profound changes in the liturgical practices of the Roman rite. It approved the translation of the liturgy into local languages to permit greater participation in the worship and to make the sacraments more intelligible to the vast majority of people. Vatican II encouraged ‘active participation’, this was something that previous Popes had not allowed or recommended. Under the discretion of Bishops, local or national customs could be cautiously incorporated into the liturgy. Changes made allowed liturgical celebrations to be accessible to everyone. “…all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy.” (1 Pet. 2:9; cf. 2:4–5) Before Vatican II, the...