OPENING SPEECH OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, THE 21ST ECUMENICAL.
Pope John XXIII
October 11, 1962
Mother Church rejoices that, by the singular gift of Divine Providence,
the longed-for day has finally dawned when–under the auspices of the virgin
Mother of God, whose maternal dignity is commemorated on this feast–the Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council is being solemnly opened here beside St. Peter's
tomb.
The Ecumenical Councils of the Church
The Councils–both the twenty
ecumenical ones and the numberless others, also important, of a provincial or
regional character which have been held down through the years–all prove clearly the vigour of the
Catholic Church and are recorded as shining lights in her annals. In calling
this vast assembly of bishops, the
latest and humble successor to the Prince of the Apostles who is addressing you
intended to assert once again the magisterium (teaching authority), which is
unfailing and endures until the end of time, in order that this magisterium,
taking into account the errors, the requirements, and the opportunities of our
time, might be presented in exceptional form to all men throughout the world.
It is but natural that in opening this Universal Council we should like
to look to the past and to listen to its voices whose echo we like to hear in
the memories and the merits of the more recent and ancient Pontiffs, our
predecessors. These are solemn and venerable voices, throughout the East and
the West, from the fourth century to the Middle Ages, and from there to modern
times, which have handed down their witness to those Councils. They are voices
which proclaim in perennial fervour the triumph of that divine and human
institution, the Church of Christ, which from Jesus takes its name, its grace,
and its meaning.
Side by side with these motives for spiritual joy, however, there has
also been for more than nineteen centuries a cloud of sorrows and of trials.
Not without reason did the ancient Simeon announce to Mary the mother of Jesus,
that prophecy which has been and still is true: "Behold this child is set
for the fall and the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall
be contradicted" ( Lk. 2: 34 ) . And Jesus Himself, when He grew up,
clearly outlined the manner in which the world would treat His person down
through the succeeding centuries with the mysterious words: "He who hears
you, hears me" (Ibid. 10:16), and with those others that the same
Evangelist relates: "He who is not with me is against me and he who does
not gather with me scatters" (Ibid. 11 :23).
The great problem confronting the world after almost two thousand years
remains unchanged. Christ is ever resplendent as the center of history and of
life. Men are either with Him and His Church, and then they enjoy light,
goodness, order, and peace. Or else they are without Him, or against Him, and
deliberately opposed to His Church, and then they give rise to confusion, to
bitterness in human relations, and to the constant danger of fratricidal wars.
Ecumenical Councils,
whenever they are assembled, are a solemn celebration of the union of Christ
and His Church, and hence lead to the universal radiation of truth, to the proper
guidance of individuals in domestic and social life, to the strengthening of
spiritual energies for a perennial uplift toward real and everlasting goodness.
The testimony of this extraordinary magisterium of the Church in the
succeeding epochs of these twenty centuries of Christian history stands before
us collected in numerous and imposing volumes, which are the sacred patrimony
of our ecclesiastical archives, here in Rome and in the more noted libraries of
the entire world.
The Origin and Reason for the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council
As regards the initiative for the great event which gathers us here, it
will suffice to repeat as historical documentation our personal account of the
first sudden bringing up in our heart and lips of the simple words,
"Ecumenical Council." We uttered those words in the presence of the
Sacred College of Cardinals on that memorable January 25, 1959, the feast of
the Conversion of St. Paul, in the basilica dedicated to him. It was completely
unexpected, like a flash of heavenly light, shedding sweetness in eyes and
hearts. And at the same time it gave rise to a great fervour throughout the
world in expectation of the holding of the Council.
There have elapsed three years of laborious preparation, during which a
wide and profound examination was made regarding modern conditions of faith and
religious practice, and of Christian and especially Catholic vitality. These
years have seemed to us a first sign, an initial gift of celestial grace.
Illuminated by the light of this Council, the Church–we confidently
trust–will become greater in spiritual riches and gaining the strength of new
energies therefrom, she will look to the future without fear. In fact, by
bringing herself up to date where required, and by the wise organization of
mutual co-operation, the Church will make men, families, and peoples really
turn their minds to heavenly things.
And thus the holding of the Council becomes a motive for wholehearted
thanksgiving to the Giver of every good gift, in order to celebrate with joyous
canticles the glory of Christ our Lord, the glorious and immortal King of ages
and of peoples.
The opportuneness of holding the Council is, moreover, venerable
brothers, another subject which it is useful to propose for your consideration.
Namely, in order to render our Joy more complete, we wish to narrate before
this great assembly our assessment of the happy circumstances under which the
Ecumenical Council commences.
In the daily exercise of our pastoral office, we sometimes have to
listen, much to our regret, to voices of persons who, though burning with zeal,
are not endowed with too much sense of discretion or measure. In these modern
times they can see nothing but prevarication and ruin. They say that our era,
in comparison with past eras, is getting worse, and they behave as though they
had learned nothing from history, which is, none the less, the teacher of life.
They behave as though at the time of former Councils everything was a full
triumph for the Christian idea and life and for proper religious liberty.
We feel we must disagree with those prophets of gloom, who are always
forecasting disaster, as though the end of the world were at hand.
In the present order of things, Divine Providence is leading us to a new
order of human relations which, by men's own efforts and even beyond their very
expectations, are directed toward the fulfilment of God's superior and
inscrutable designs. And everything, even human differences, leads to the
greater good of the Church.
It is easy to discern this reality if we consider attentively the world
of today, which is so busy with politics and controversies in the economic
order that it does not find time to attend to the care of spiritual reality,
with which the Church's magisterium is concerned. Such a way of acting is
certainly not right, and must justly be disapproved. It cannot be denied, however,
that these new conditions of modern life have at least the advantage of having
eliminated those innumerable obstacles by which, at one time, the sons of this
world impeded the free action of the Church. In fact, it suffices to leaf even
cursorily through the pages of ecclesiastical history to note clearly how the
Ecumenical Councils themselves, while constituting a series of true glories for
the Catholic Church, were often held to the accompaniment of most serious
difficulties and sufferings because of the undue interference of civil
authorities. The princes of this world, indeed, sometimes in all sincerity,
intended thus to protect the Church. But more frequently this occurred not
without spiritual damage and danger, since their interest therein was guided by
the views of a selfish and perilous policy.
In this regard, we confess to you that we feel most poignant sorrow over
the fact that very many bishops, so dear to us are noticeable here today by
their absence, because they are imprisoned for their faithfulness to Christ, or
impeded by other restraints. The thought of them impels us to raise most
fervent prayer to God. Nevertheless, we see today, not without great hopes and
to our immense consolation, that the Church, finally freed from so many obstacles
of a profane nature such as trammeled her in the past, can from this Vatican
Basilica, as if from a second apostolic cenacle, and through your intermediary,
raise her voice resonant with majesty and greatness.
Principle Duty of the Council: The Defense and Advancement of Truth
The greatest concern of
the Ecumenical Council is this: that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine
should be guarded and taught more efficaciously. That doctrine embraces
the whole of man, composed as he is of body and soul. And, since he is a
pilgrim on this earth, it commands him to tend always toward heaven.
This demonstrates how our mortal life is to be ordered in such a way as
to fulfill our duties as citizens of earth and of heaven, and thus to attain
the aim of life as established by God. That is, all men, whether taken singly
or as united in society, today have the duty of tending ceaselessly during
their lifetime toward the attainment of heavenly things and to use. For this
purpose only, the earthly goods, the employment of which must not prejudice
their eternal happiness.
The Lord has said: "Seek first the kingdom of Cod and his
justice" (Mt. 6:33). The word "first" expresses the direction in
which our thoughts and energies must move. We must not, however, neglect the other
words of this exhortation of our Lord, namely: "And all these things shall
be given you besides" (Ibid. ). In reality, there always have been in the
Church, and there are still today, those who, while seeking the practice of
evangelical perfection with all their might, do not fail to make themselves
useful to society. Indeed, it from their constant example of life and their
charitable undertakings that all that is highest and noblest in human society
takes its strength and growth.
In order, however, that this doctrine may influence the numerous fields
of human activity, with reference to individuals, to families, and to social
life, it is necessary first of all that the Church should never depart from the
sacred patrimony of truth received from the Fathers. But at the same time she
must ever look to the present, to the new conditions and new forms of life
introduced into the modern world, which have opened new avenues to the Catholic
apostolate.
For this reason, the Church has not watched inertly the marvellous
progress of the discoveries of human genius, an has not been backward in
evaluating them rightly. But, while following these developments, she does not
neglect to admonish men so that, over and above sense–perceived things–they may
raise their eyes to God, the Source of all wisdom and all beauty. And may they
never forget the most serious command: "The Lord thy God shall thou
worship, and Him only shall thou serve" (Mt. 4:10; Lk. 4:8), so that it
may happen that the fleeting fascination of visible things should impede true
progress.
The manner in which sacred doctrine is spread, this having been
established, it becomes clear how much is expected from the Council in regard
to doctrine. That is, the Twenty-first Ecumenical Council, which will draw upon
the effective and important wealth of juridical, liturgical, apostolic, and
administrative experiences, wishes to transmit the doctrine, pure and integral,
without any attenuation or distortion, which throughout twenty centuries,
notwithstanding difficulties and contrasts, has become the common patrimony of
men. It is a patrimony not well received by all, but always a rich treasure
available to men of good will.
Our duty is not only to
guard this precious treasure, as if we were concerned only with antiquity, but
to dedicate ourselves with an earnest will and without fear to that work which
our era demands of us, pursuing thus the path which the Church has followed for
twenty centuries. The salient point of this Council is not, therefore, a discussion of
one article or another of the fundamental doctrine of the Church which has
repeatedly been taught by the Fathers and by ancient and modern theologians,
and which is presumed to be well known and familiar to all.
For this a Council was not necessary. But from the renewed, serene, and
tranquil adherence to all the teaching of the Church in its entirety and
preciseness, as it still shines forth in the Acts of the Council of Trent and
First Vatican Council, the Christian, Catholic, and apostolic spirit of the
whole world expects a step forward toward a doctrinal penetration and a
formation of consciousness in faithful and perfect conformity to the authentic
doctrine, which, however, should be studied and expounded through the methods of
research and through the literary forms of modern thought. The substance of the ancient doctrine of the deposit of faith is one
thing, and the way in which it is presented is another. And it is the latter
that must be taken into great consideration with patience if necessary,
everything being measured in the forms and proportions of a magisterium which
is predominantly pastoral in character.
How to Repress Errors
At the outset of the Second Vatican Council, it is evident, as always,
that the truth of the Lord will remain forever. We see, in fact, as one age
succeeds another, that the opinions of men follow one another and exclude each
other. And often errors vanish as quickly as they arise, like fog before the
sun. The Church has always opposed these errors. Frequently she has condemned
them with the greatest severity.
Nowadays however, the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of
mercy rather than that of severity. She consider that she meets the needs of
the present day by demonstrating the validity of her teaching rather than by
condemnations. Not, certainly, that there is a lack of fallacious teaching,
opinions, and dangerous concepts to be guarded against an dissipated. But these
are so obviously in contrast with the right norm of honesty, and have produced
such lethal fruits that by now it would seem that men of themselves are
inclined to condemn them, particularly those ways of life which despise God and
His law or place excessive confidence in technical progress and a well-being
based exclusively on the comforts of life. They are ever more deeply convinced
of the paramount dignity of the human person and of his perfection as well as
of the duties which that implies. Even more important, experience has taught
men that violence inflicted on others, the might of arms, and political
domination, are of no help at all in finding a happy solution to the grave
problems which afflict them.
That being so, the Catholic
Church, raising the torch of religious truth by means of this Ecumenical
Council, desires to show herself to be the loving mother of all, benign,
patient, full of mercy and goodness toward the brethren who are separated from
her. To mankind, oppressed by so many difficulties, the Church says, as
Peter said to the poor who begged alms from him: "I have neither gold nor
silver, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
rise and walk" (Acts 3:6). In other words, the Church does not offer to
the men of today riches that pass, nor does she promise them merely earthly happiness.
But she distributes to them the goods of divine grace which, raising men to the
dignity of sons of God, are the most efficacious safeguards and aids toward a
more human life. She opens the fountain of her life-giving doctrine which
allows men, enlightened by the light of Christ, to understand well what they
really are, what their lofty dignity and their purpose are, and, finally,
through her children, she spreads everywhere the fullness of Christian charity,
than which nothing is more effective in eradicating the seeds of discord,
nothing more efficacious in promoting concord, just peace, and the brotherly
unity of all.
The Unity of the Christian and Human Family Must Be Promoted
The Church's solicitude to promote and defend truth derives from the fact
that, according to the plan of God, who wills all men to be saved and to come
to the knowledge of the truth (l Tim. 2:4), men without the assistance of the
whole of revealed doctrine cannot reach a complete and firm unity of minds,
with which are associated true peace and eternal salvation.
Unfortunately, the entire Christian family has not yet fully attained
this visible unity in truth.
The Catholic Church, therefore, considers it her duty to work actively
so that there may be fulfilled the great mystery of that unity, which Jesus
Christ invoked with fervent prayer from His heavenly Father on the eve of His
sacrifice. She rejoices in peace, knowing well that she is intimately
associated with that prayer, and then exults greatly at seeing that invocation
extend its efficacy with salutary fruit, even among those who are outside her
fold.
Indeed, if one considers well this same unity which Christ implored for
His Church, it seems to shine, as it were, with a triple ray of beneficent
supernal light: namely, the unity of Catholics among themselves, which must
always be kept exemplary and most firm; the unity of prayers and ardent desires
with which those Christians separated from this Apostolic See aspire to be
united with us; and the unity in esteem and respect for the Catholic Church
which animates those who follow non-Christian religions.
In this regard, it is a source of considerable sorrow to see that the
greater part of the human race–although all men who are born were redeemed by
the blood of Christ–does not yet participate in those sources of divine grace
which exist in the Catholic Church. Hence the Church, whose light illumines
all, whose strength of supernatural unity redounds to the advantage of all
humanity, is rightly described in these beautiful words of St. Cyprian:
"The
Church, surrounded by divine light, spreads her rays over the entire earth.
This light, however, is one and unique and shines everywhere without causing
any separation in the unity of the body. She extends her branches over the whole
world. By her fruitfulness she sends ever farther afield he rivulets.
Nevertheless, the head is always one, the origin one for she is the one mother,
abundantly fruitful. We are born of her, are nourished by her milk, we live of
her spirit' (De Catholicae Eccles. Unitate, 5).
Venerable brothers, such is the aim of the Second Vatican Ecumenical
Council, which, while bringing together the Church's best energies and striving
to have men welcome more favourably the good tidings of salvation, prepares, as
it were and consolidates the path toward that unity of mankind which is
required as a necessary foundation, in order that the earthly city may be
brought to the resemblance of that heavenly city where truth reigns, charity is
the law, and whose extent is eternity (Cf. St. Augustine, Epistle 138, 3).
Now, "our voice is directed to you" (2 Cor. 6:11 ) venerable
brothers in the episcopate. Behold, we are gathered together in this Vatican
Basilica, upon which hinges the history of the Church where heaven and earth
are closely joined, here near the tomb of Peter and near so many of the tombs
of our holy predecessors, whose ashes in this solemn hour seem to thrill in
mystic exultation.
The Council now beginning rises in the Church like daybreak, a
forerunner of most splendid light. It is now only dawn. And already at this
first announcement of the rising day, how much sweetness fills our heart.
Everything here breathes sanctity and arouses great joy. Let us contemplate the
stars, which with their brightness augment the majesty of this temple. These
stars, according to the testimony of the Apostle John (Apoc. 1:20), are you,
and with you we see shining around the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, the
golden candelabra. That is, the Church is confided to you (Ibid.).
We see here with you important personalities, present in an attitude of
great respect and cordial expectation, having come together in Rome from the
five continents to represent the nations of the world.
We might say that heaven and earth are united in the holding of the
Council–the saints of heaven to protect our work, the faithful of the earth
continuing in prayer to the Lord, and you, seconding the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit in order that the work of all may correspond to the modern
expectations and needs of the various peoples of the world.
This requires of you serenity of mind, brotherly concord moderation in
proposals, dignity in discussion, and wisdom of deliberation.
God grant that your labours and your work, toward which the eyes of all
peoples and the hopes of the entire world are turned, may abundantly fulfil the
aspirations of all.
Almighty God! In Thee we place all our confidence, not trusting in our
own strength. Look down benignly upon these pastors of Thy Church. May the
light of Thy supernal grace aid us in taking decisions and in making laws.
Graciously hear the prayers which we pour forth to Thee in unanimity of faith,
of voice, and of mind.
O Mary, Help of Christians, Help of Bishops, of whose love we have
recently had particular proof in thy temple of Loreto, where we venerated the
mystery of the Incarnation dispose all things for a happy and propitious
outcome and, with thy spouse, St. Joseph, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul St.
John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, intercede for us to God.
To
Jesus Christ, our most amiable Redeemer, immortal King of peoples and of times,
be love, power, and glory forever and ever
