KEY FIGURES OF THE COUNCIL
Two Popes
Scholars of the Council
ENERGY
In the four sessions of the Council, following on from the drafts presented by the preparatory commissions, the Energy of the Holy Spirit is seen in the collaborative work that was achieved.
Pope John XXIII (1958-1963)
Pope John XXIIIcalled the Second Vatican Council and set in motion a remarkable venture in the history of the Catholic Church. His idea for a council may be traced to his knowledge of the many scholarly developments of the twentieth century. One story is worth noting. In 1952, whilst working in Paris at the Vatican nunciature, Archbishop Roncalli read the work of Yves Congar, True and False Reform in the Church, and asked if such a reform was possible. The future pope was familiar with the writings of the pre-Conciliar Catholic scholars and personally invited many of them to be part of the Council planning and sessions.
Pope Paul VI (1963-1978)
Pope Paul VIwas an remarkable Vatican administrator and took over the reins of the Council with the death of Pope John XXIII. He had been working in the Secretary of State for twenty years and was a key Vatican figure before the Council. He concluded the Council and began implementing the reforms that were called for by the Council Fathers. He especially fostered the ecumenical outreach begun at the Council.
SCHOLARS OF THE COUNCIL
1
Scholarship- The History Of Theology And Church Reform
Yves Congar (1904-1995)was a French Dominican friar who became a key figure in the Second Vatican Council and was a most influential Catholic scholar.
Pre-Council Academic Writing
He was theologian of immense knowledge and one whose works on a “collegial papacy” in the 1950’s were under suspicion by the Roman curia. As early as 1932 he had written on reform in the Catholic Church. Congar was an early advocate of the ecumenical movement and encouraged openness to the Eastern Orthodox Church and Protestant churches. He also promoted the lay people’s role in the church and worked closely with Joseph Cardijn, the founder of the Young Christian Workers organization.
Contribution to the Council
Fr. Congar was called by Pope John XXIII to serve at the Council as a theological expert (peritus). He worked on several committees in drafting the final texts for the Council.
2
Scholarship -Theology
Fr. Joseph Ratzinger (1927-) was an outstanding German theologian who as a youth was caught up in the turmoil of the Second World War. Born in Bavaria he was drafted into the German infantry whilst in seminary training.
Pre-Council Academic Writing
After the war he was ordained, continued his studies and became professor of theology in the University of Bonn.
Contribution to the Council
During the Second Vatican Council he was an expert advisor the planning group and became a key advisor to the German Bishops. After the Council he continued to write and lecture in Catholic Theology. He became the Archbishop of Munich, then was made a Cardinal in the Church. He took leadership of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
He was elected Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005.
3
Scholarship – Especially Scripture Study
Bea, Augustin (1881-1968)
Cardinal Bea was born in Germany. He studied at several universities and in April 1902, he joined the Society of Jesus, as he “was much inclined to the scholarly life”. Cardinal Bea was ordained in 1912 then served as the provincial superior of Germany. In 1930, he was named rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, a post he held for nineteen years.
The ground breaking encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu, 1930, was very much shaped by Bea. This document called for new translations of the Bible from the original languages and encouraged scholarly textual criticism of the scriptures. It was called the Magna Carta of biblical studies.
Contribution to the Council
Cardinal Bea was one of the electors in the 1963 papal conclave, which selected Pope Paul VI, and was made the President of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity.
Bea was highly influential at the Second Vaticanto Council in the 1960s as a decisive force in the drafting of Nostra Aetate, which repudiated anti-Semitism. In 1963, he held secret talks with Abraham Joshua Heschel, promoting Catholic-Jewish dialogue. He served on numerous ecumenical bodies and was the author of many scholarly works.
4
Scholarship – Especially Patristic Theology
Henri de Lubac (1896-1991) a French Jesuit priest was also one of the key figures in the lead up to, and activities of, the Second Vatican Council. Born into an aristocratic family, he was an excellent student of law, philosophy and theology.
Pre-Council Academic Writing
His writings became controversial and the Vatican directed De Lubac’s Jesuit provincials to censure him.
De Lubac called for a new study of the patristic sources of Catholicism: the Fathers in the centuries immediately after the New Testament was put together. His study explored the willingness to address the issues of contemporary men and women. His respect for the laity and his sense that the Catholic Church exists in history, and is affected by history, brought him under suspicion. These issues were to become key components of the Second Vatican Council. Despite a ban he continued to research and write. He sought to revive the study of Scripture and the dialogue of science and theology. His censure was eventually lifted.
Contribution to the Council
In 1960 Pope John XXIII appointed Fr. de Lubac as a consultant to upcoming Council and an expert advisor at the sessions. He had a key influence on Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church and on the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.
5
Scholarship – Especially Liturgical Studies
Jungmann, Josef Andreas (1889-1975)
An Austrian Jesuit, Jungmann inspired the liturgical and catechetical renewal. After theological studies in the diocesan seminary he was ordained in 1913. From 1925, at the University of Innsbruck, he taught pastoral theology, catechetics, and liturgy until 1963, with an interruption from 1938 to 1945 when Hitler closed the theology faculty of the university. Jungmann was also editor for forty years of a major theological journal.
Pre-Council Academic Writing
After having contributed through his writings to creating the general theological and pastoral climate for Vatican Council II, he was chosen in 1960 to be a member of the conciliar Preparatory Commission.
Contribution to the Council
He continued his intensive and dedicated work during the council as a highly esteemed peritus for the Commission on Liturgy. The document on Sacred Liturgy was the first one promulgated at the Council. After Vatican II Fr. Jungmann worked as a consultor for implementing the Liturgical changes mandated by the Council.
6
Scholarship – Theology
Karl Rahner, S.J. (1904 –1984), a German theologian, was a key figure among Catholic theologians of the 20th century.
Pre-Council Academic Writing
In the early 1960’s Rahner was censured by Rome and forbidden to publish or lecture. His creative stance on theological issues brought him under suspicion by the Roman authorities. Pope John XXIII lifted the ban on his work and appointed him ‘expert advisor,’ peritus, to the Council.
Contribution to the Council
The discussions and deliberations of the Council were greatly influenced by his remarkable knowledge of Catholic theology. Fr. Karl Rahner was chosen as one of seven theologians who would develop Lumen Gentium, the dogmatic explanation of the doctrine of the Church. The Council’s openness towards other religious traditions may be linked to Rahner’s idea of a renovated church with strong ecumenical connections.
7
Scholarship – Especially Engagement Of The Laity
Joseph Cardijn (1882-1967)
Joseph Cardijn was born in 1882 in Belgium. In 1903 he entered a Catholic seminary and was ordained in 1906. Strongly influenced by his parents and fellow priests he decided to devote his life to bringing Christianity back to the working class.
Cardijn became a teacher and began creating and improving worker organizations. He was twice imprisoned during World War I for so-called patriotic activities. After the war he devoted his time solely to social work especially with young adults. Fr Cardijn started the “Young Trade Unionists”. At first these groups met resistance from within the Catholic Church, but eventually the organization and his work gained acceptance. Fr. Cardijn received a blessing from Pope Pius XI in 1925.
In 1924, the name of the organization was changed to “Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne”, the Young Christian Workers. This association grew rapidly throughout the world and was a counter force against Fascism and Communism. By 1938, there were 500,000 members throughout Europe; in 1967, this had increased to 2,000,000 members in 69 countries. Australia had a developing YCW in these years.
Cardinal Cardijn’s work was well known throughout Europe and was discussed at the Council. He was acquainted with many of the leading scholars.
8
Scholarship – The Rights And Freedom Of The Individual
John Courtney Murray SJ (1904 –1967) was an American Jesuit priest who became famous for his efforts to reconcile Catholic theology with religious pluralism. He addressed the topic of religious freedom for the state and in the Church. He staunchly defended the right of every person to his or her individual religious freedom.
He lectured effectively in America arguing against coercive practices of some Catholic bishops and always sought to safeguard the key American freedoms.
Pre-Council Academic Writing
Murray claimed that the fuller truth of human dignity calls for people to take moral control over their own religious beliefs and not to merely assign them to a state or religion. Murray’s outspoken ideas brought him into conflict with some Vatican officials and in 1954 he was censured by his Jesuit order and forbidden to publish articles on religious freedom.
Contribution to the Council
In spite of his suppression he was invited to the second session of the Second Vatican Council in 1963, in which he helped draft the third and fourth versions of what eventually became the council’s endorsement of religious freedom, the Decree Dignitatis humanae, in 1965. After the council, he continued writing on this topic.
9
Scholarship – Especially Moral Theology
Haring, Bernard (1912-1998)
Bernard Häring was born in Germany and at the age of 12, he entered the seminary. Later, he took vows as a Redemptorist, was ordained a priest, and sent as a missionary to Brazil. He became an outstanding teacher of moral theology.
During World War II, he was conscripted by the German army and served as a medic. Although forbidden from performing priestly functions by the Nazi authorities, he brought the sacraments to Catholic soldiers.
Pre-Council Academic Writing
In 1954, he came to fame as a moral theologian with his three volumed, The Law of Christ. The work received ecclesiastical approval but was written in a style different from the more legalistic Manual Tradition. It was translated into more than 12 languages.
Between 1949 and 1987, he taught Moral theology in Rome.
Contribution to the Council
Fr. Haring served as a peritus at the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965, and was a member of the commission which prepared the Pastoral Constitution, Gaudium et Spes.
Häring taught at various universities throughout Europe and America.
A prolific writer – he produced about 80 books and 1,000 articles.
Häring established himself as a leader in moving Catholic moral theology to a more personalist and scripture-based approach.
10
Scholarship – Especially Ancient Sources For Theological Studies
Fr Jean Danielou (1905-1974) was a French Jesuit scholar who also had a remarkable influence on the Second Vatican Council.
During World War II he served in the army and after the war studied patristic theology and began publishing a collection of ancient texts: Sources Chretiennes. These works gained a broad readership from Catholic and Protestant scholars. This venture, combined with his writings brought to the wider Catholic Church a lively debate concerning the Bible and historical study of ancient sources in the Church. These publications were very influential in fostering the critical study of the sources in the early Christian story.
Contribution
He was called by Pope John XXIII to serve as an expert consultant at the Council.
11
Scholarship- Especially Medieval Theology
Chenu, Marie-Dominique (1895-1990)
Fr. Chenu was born in France in 1895 and entered the Dominican Order in 1913, taking the name Marie-Dominique. With the outbreak of World War I he travelled to Rome in 1914 to study theology. Fr. Chenu was ordained in 1919 and completed his doctorate and in 1920 he was appointed Professor of the History of Dogma. He was the teacher of Dominicans Yves Congar and Edward Schillebeeckx.
In 1930 Chenu founded the study of medieval theology; he specialized in St Thomas Aquinas.
Pre-Council Academic Writing
In 1937 Chenu privately issued a book entitled Une école de théologie: le Saulchoir. In February 1938 he was called to Rome and reprimanded for this work. Then, in 1942, this work was placed on the Vatican’s “Index of Forbidden Books” because of its then progressive ideas about the role of historical studies in theology. He is regarded as al leader of the ‘la nouvelle theology’ – the new theology. He was removed as rector of Le Saulchoir.
Contribution to the Council
Fr. Chenu was invited to be a peritus, or expert, at the Roman Catholic Second Vatican Council (1962–65) where he was influential in the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et spes).[7]
Chenu was a forerunner of the ressourcement in theology that preceded the reforms of Vatican II. Chenu played a large role in fostering the study of historic theological sources.
12
Scholarship – Theology
Schillebeeckx, Edward (1914-2009)
After being educated by the Jesuits Edward Schillebeeckx entered the Dominican Order in 1934 and studied theology and philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven. After three years of studying philosophy Fr. Schillebeeckx heeded the call up of the Belgian Armed Forces in 1938. After the fall of Belgium he returned was ordained in 1941.
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Pre-Council Academic Writing
Schillebeeckx entered the Dominican study house at Leuven, where he stayed until 1945. He studied theology in Paris. His solid scholarship was quickly recognized and he became a leading theologian in the Catholic Church.
Contribution to the Council
During the Second Vatican Council, Schillebeeckx was a most active theologian. He drafted various council interventions for the Dutch Bishops and gave conferences on many theological topics.
Fr. Schillebeeckx also influenced the development of several conciliar constitutions such as Dei verbum and Lumen gentium.
After the Council he became a controversial figure and was censured by the Congregation for the Faith.
COUNCIL FATHERS AND SCHOLARS
SOME OF THE KEY COUNCIL FATHERS
Agagianian, Gregorie
Afrink, Bernard
Alfred Ancel
Brown, Michael, Cardinal
Butler, Basil
Charue, Andre
Cicognani, Amleto
Colombo, Carlo
Cushing, Richard
De Smelt, Emile
Dopfner, Julius
Elchinger, Leon-Arthur
Felici, Pericle
Fernandes, Ancieto
Florit, Ermenegildo
Franic, Joseph
Frings, Joseph
Garrone, Gabriel
Guano, Emilio
Heenan, John
Hurley, Denis
Konig, Franz
Lefebvre, Marcel
Leger, Paul-Emile
Lercaro, Giacomo
Lienart, Achile
Martin, Joseph
Marty, Francoise
Ottaviani, Alfredo
Parente, Pietro
Pizzardo, Giuseppe
Ruffini, Ernesto
Siri, Giseppe
Suenens, Leon-J
Tromp, Sebastian
Tisserant, Eugene
Volk, Hermann
Weber, Jean-Julien
Willebrands, Jan
Wright, John
Zoa, Jean-Baptiste
SOME KEY SCHOLARS OF THE COUNCIL ERA
ARRIGHI, JEAN-FRANCIOSE
BALIC, CHARLES
BARTH, BAUM
BAUM, GREGORY
BEA, AUGUSTIN
DOM LAMBERT BEAUDUIN
BENIOT, PIERRE
BOUYER, LOUIS
BROWN, RAYMOND
CARDIJIN, JOSEPH
CHENU, MARIE-DOMINIQUE
CONGAR, YVES
CULLMANN, OSCAR
DANIELOU, JEAN
ETCHEGARAY, ROGER
FERET, HENRI-MARIE
GAGNEBET, ROSAIRE
GAUTHIER, PAUL
GY, PIERRE
HAMER, JEROME
HARING, BERNARD
JUNGMANN, JOSEPH
LAURENTIN, RENE
LECUYER, JOSEPH
LIEGE, PIERRE-ANDRE
LUBAC, HENRI DE
LYONNET, STANISLAUS
MARITAIN, JACQUES
MARTIMORT, AIME-GEORGES
MOLLER, CHARLES
MURRAY, JOHN COURTNEY
PHILIPS, GERARD
PRIGNON, ALBERT
RAHNER, KARL
RATZINGER, JOSEPH
RIDEMATTEN, HENRI DE
SCHAUF, HERIBERT
SCHILLEBEECKX, EDWARD
SCHMAUS, MICHAEL
SCHMEMANN, ALEXANDER
SEMMELROTH, OTTO
TEILHARD DE CHARDIN
THILS, GUSTAVE
VAUX, ROLAND DE
WOJTYLA, KAROL- The Future Pope John Paul II
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