The contest over Vatican II’s meaning is today more intense than ever. The ecclesiastical party associated with Karl Rahner, Edward Schillebeeckx and Concilium was generally on the outside looking in for the first 50 years of the reception of Vatican II’s documents. They had to read the papal magisterial documents in those decades with teeth gritted. They published and advocated for change or reversal in consistent, long-standing doctrinal and moral teachings of the Church.
This ecclesiastical party now stands much closer to the magisterial writing desk. The current preparations for the Synod on Synodality have been shaped in large part by their efforts, though it is unclear whether the synod’s outcome will satisfy them. The Second Vatican Council’s meaning has become a very contemporary struggle and debate.
On the other hand, I do think that Vatican II risks becoming old and outdated, beyond the mere fact that the situation in theology and in the world is much different from what it was 60 years ago. Arguably, whether Vatican II retains a youthful vitality and relevance will depend upon decisions made in the next few years.
To put it simply: The crucial question is whether Vatican II was about worldly power or about Christ’s power.
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