Second Vatican Council for the Youth of Christianity

Cjelokupno vrednovanje rezultata Drugoga vatikanskog koncila zahtijeva složenu analizu koju treba provesti na više razina. Jedan od pristupa prihvatljivo se može ostvariti sučeljavanjem ozračja pripreme Koncila (siječanj 1959. - listopad 1962.) i ozračja njegovog završetka u prosincu 1965. Unatoč raširenoj sekularizaciji - barem na zapadu - najava Ivana XXIII. u javnosti je prouzrokovala neviđenu pozornost i zanimanje. Ipak, kako god je ta najava bila prodorna, isto je tako bila slaba, pa je stoga potaknula mnoga pitanja o budućem Koncilu. Kakav je to Koncil htio sazvati papa Ivan? On nije oklijevao Koncil nazvati apsolutno tradicionalnim nazivom, to jest zasjedanjem biskupa. No, to nije bilo u proturječju s činjenicom da je htio Koncil epohalnoga prijelaza, to jest Koncil koji bi Crkvu uveo u novu fazu njezinoga puta. U toj je perspektivi Koncil poprimao po svemu posebno značenje, daleko više kao velik »događaj« Duha negoli kao mjesto izrade i stvaranja norma, kao što su bila zasjedanja prije njega održana tijekom stoljeća. Koncil je trebao biti »zraka nebeskoga sunca«, izraz o kojemu je papa Ivan govorio više puta, a kojega je uzeo kako bi ukazao na Koncil kao na »novu Pedesetnicu«. Bio je to »uzvišeni« način da bi se, tipično kršćanskim jezikom, istaknula izvrsnost (te) povijesne prigode i izvanrednih perspektiva što ih je otvarala. Zato je bilo potrebno da se Crkva s njome suoči s posebno dubokom obnovom, kako bi se očitovala svijetu i kako bi svim ljudima pokazala evanđeosku poruku istom snagom i neposrednošću koju je imala izvorna Pedesetnica. Osim toga, podsjećanje na Pedesetnicu u prvi je plan stavilo djelovanje Duha, a ne djelovanje pape ili Crkve, pa i samog koncilskog zasjedanja.A complete evaluation of the results of the Council requires a complicated analysis that needs to be implemented at several levels. One of the approaches can acceptably be realised through facing the circumstances surrounding preparations far the Council (January 1959 - October 1962) and the circumstances surrounding its conclusion in December 1965. Despite widespread secularisation - at least in the West-the announcement of John XXIII attracted public attention and interest that had not been seen until then. Nevertheless, regardless of how penetrating his announcement was, at the same time it was very weak and so led to questions of a future Council. What sort of Council did Pope John wish to convene? He did not hesitate to call the Council its absolutely traditional title, a conference of bishops. However, this was not in contradiction to the fact that the Council desired an Episcopal transition, that is, a Council that would introduce the Church into a new phase upon its way. In that regard the Council acquired a special significance, as a far greater »happening« of the Spirit rather than a place to create and formulate standards, as conferences prior to it had been far centuries. The Council was to have been »a ray of heavenly sunlight«, where Pope John spoke on several occasions and that he used to portray as a »new Pentecost«. This was an »exalted« way to point out excellence(ies) in laymam\u27s terms of historical events and extraordinary perspectives that it opened up. That is why it was necessary for the Church to be faced with particular deep renewal so that it could tell the world and with the same strength and immediacy that the first Pentecost had, show the message of the Gospel to all people. In addition, reminiscence of Pentecost brought the acts of the Spirit into the fore and not the acts of popes or the Church or, infact, Councils themselves

Second Vatican Council for the Youth of Christianity

Cjelokupno vrednovanje rezultata Drugoga vatikanskog koncila zahtijeva složenu analizu koju treba provesti na više razina. Jedan od pristupa prihvatljivo se može ostvariti sučeljavanjem ozračja pripreme Koncila (siječanj 1959. - listopad 1962.) i ozračja njegovog završetka u prosincu 1965. Unatoč raširenoj sekularizaciji - barem na zapadu - najava Ivana XXIII. u javnosti je prouzrokovala neviđenu pozornost i zanimanje. Ipak, kako god je ta najava bila prodorna, isto je tako bila slaba, pa je stoga potaknula mnoga pitanja o budućem Koncilu. Kakav je to Koncil htio sazvati papa Ivan? On nije oklijevao Koncil nazvati apsolutno tradicionalnim nazivom, to jest zasjedanjem biskupa. No, to nije bilo u proturječju s činjenicom da je htio Koncil epohalnoga prijelaza, to jest Koncil koji bi Crkvu uveo u novu fazu njezinoga puta. U toj je perspektivi Koncil poprimao po svemu posebno značenje, daleko više kao velik »događaj« Duha negoli kao mjesto izrade i stvaranja norma, kao što su bila zasjedanja prije njega održana tijekom stoljeća. Koncil je trebao biti »zraka nebeskoga sunca«, izraz o kojemu je papa Ivan govorio više puta, a kojega je uzeo kako bi ukazao na Koncil kao na »novu Pedesetnicu«. Bio je to »uzvišeni« način da bi se, tipično kršćanskim jezikom, istaknula izvrsnost (te) povijesne prigode i izvanrednih perspektiva što ih je otvarala. Zato je bilo potrebno da se Crkva s njome suoči s posebno dubokom obnovom, kako bi se očitovala svijetu i kako bi svim ljudima pokazala evanđeosku poruku istom snagom i neposrednošću koju je imala izvorna Pedesetnica. Osim toga, podsjećanje na Pedesetnicu u prvi je plan stavilo djelovanje Duha, a ne djelovanje pape ili Crkve, pa i samog koncilskog zasjedanja.A complete evaluation of the results of the Council requires a complicated analysis that needs to be implemented at several levels. One of the approaches can acceptably be realised through facing the circumstances surrounding preparations far the Council (January 1959 - October 1962) and the circumstances surrounding its conclusion in December 1965. Despite widespread secularisation - at least in the West-the announcement of John XXIII attracted public attention and interest that had not been seen until then. Nevertheless, regardless of how penetrating his announcement was, at the same time it was very weak and so led to questions of a future Council. What sort of Council did Pope John wish to convene? He did not hesitate to call the Council its absolutely traditional title, a conference of bishops. However, this was not in contradiction to the fact that the Council desired an Episcopal transition, that is, a Council that would introduce the Church into a new phase upon its way. In that regard the Council acquired a special significance, as a far greater »happening« of the Spirit rather than a place to create and formulate standards, as conferences prior to it had been far centuries. The Council was to have been »a ray of heavenly sunlight«, where Pope John spoke on several occasions and that he used to portray as a »new Pentecost«. This was an »exalted« way to point out excellence(ies) in laymam\u27s terms of historical events and extraordinary perspectives that it opened up. That is why it was necessary for the Church to be faced with particular deep renewal so that it could tell the world and with the same strength and immediacy that the first Pentecost had, show the message of the Gospel to all people. In addition, reminiscence of Pentecost brought the acts of the Spirit into the fore and not the acts of popes or the Church or, infact, Councils themselves

Combining autocracy and majority voting: the canonical succession rules of the Latin Church

The autocratic turn of the Latin Church in the XI-XIII century, a reaction to the secular power interferences, concentrated the decision-making power in the hands of the top hierarchy, and finally in the hands of the pope. A fundamental step was the change and the constitutionalisation of the procedures for leadership replacement, which were open successions where the contest for power was governed by elections. The autocratic reform limited the active electorate to the clergy only and gradually substituted the episcopal elections by the pope’s direct appointment. Besides, the voting rules changed from unanimity to the dual principle of maioritas et sanioritas (where the majority was identified with the greater part by number and wisdom) and finally to the numerical rule of qualified majority. This evolution aimed at preserving the elections from external interferences and at eliminating the elements of arbitrariness. The most important succession, the papal election, was protected by institutionalising a selectorate and its decision-making rules. The selectorate and the elections did not insert accountability and representation mechanisms but only protected the quality of the autocratic leadership and its autonomy

Semantics and Ideology During the Renaissance: Confessional Translations of the Greek Word ἐπίσκοπος

During the sixteenth century the disputes between Catholics and Protestants became the battleground to determine and shape authentic Christianity and the Church. Humanism played a key role in this process conditioned by cultural and theological diversity, justifying doctrinal positions and legitimizing the existence of respective institutions with an appeal to history. Translations from church historical sources illustrate how they often derived from theological preconceptions. Starting with the ‘episcopacy issue’ opened initially by Luther and Calvin inter al., this article analyzes the translations of the Greek word episkopos in the Magdeburg Centuries, Cesare Baronio’s Ecclesiastical Annals, in contemporary vernacular versions of Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History, in J. C. Dietrich’s Lexicon and in some English Bibles. The material gathered and also compared with the position of the Council of Trent shows how these confessionally conditioned translations impacted on the scholarly world, and how they influenced church law with religio-political consequences, thereby having a striking significance

Vatican II et son héritage

Plus que la somme de ses décrets et de ses documents, Vatican II doit avant tout être considéré comme un événement qui marque le passage de l’Église catholique à un autre contexte historique, religieux et culturel. Vatican II marque donc une rupture dans le devenir du catholicisme et ce concile, qualifié de pastoral, inscrit une discontinuité dans la lignée des conciles de l’Église. Cela comporte des conséquences sur le plan de l’herméneutique conciliaire qui ne doit pas se réduire à l’analyse de ses textes ou de ses décisions. Au cours de sa réception, il faut demeurer à la fois attentif aux exigences de l’esprit contemporain et aux requêtes de la foi. C’est dans cette mesure seulement que nous honorerons ce que Vatican II a voulu inaugurer.More than the sum of its decrees and documents, Vatican II should be considered first and foremost as an event which signals the entry of the Catholic Church into a new historical, religious and cultural context. Vatican II is a watershed in the development of Catholicism and this Council, wich described itself as pastoral, makes a break in the conciliar history of the Church. This influences the hermeneutic one chooses to apply to the Council. Such an hermeneutic ought not to be reduced to the analysis of texts and decrees. In plotting the course of the Council's reception, attention must be paid to the signs of the time as well as the faith requirements. Only on this way, can we do justice to the movement wich the Council set in motion

Péché et sainteté dans l'Église pèlerine

En 1994 Jean-Paul II, pour préparer le prochain millénaire, envoie aux cardinaux un Pro-memoria qui contient un paragraphe sur Reconciliatio et poenitentia où il soutient que « l'Église est certainement sainte, comme nous professons dans le credo ; cependant elle est aussi pécheresse, non comme corps du Christ, mais comme communauté d'hommes pécheurs ». Il est utile d'esquisser quelques données fondamentales de ce problème, qui traverse toute l'histoire de l'église chrétienne. 1. Les données de la Tradition ancienne sont orientées vers la sainteté de l'Église comme une caractéristique eschatologique, vers laquelle l'Église tend, vivant une alternance de fidélité et de prostitution. 2. Un tournant se manifeste au IIIe siècle, après la fin de l'attente eschatologique, avec une référence nostalgique à l'Église des origines, influencée par l'idéal stoïcien de l'« état primordial ». 3. La conscience du péché ecclésial subit un procès de hiérarchisation à la suite de la féodalisation de la société et de l'Église. 4. La réforme de l'Église « sainte » devient, surtout après le XIVe siècle, le mot clé d'une lutte de plus en plus aiguë et violente. 5. Après la rupture de la foi au XVIe siècle, les princes s'engagent directement dans la réforme des églises, qui suscite une réaction très forte dans le catholicisme romain. 6. A partir des années trente s'achemine vers le dépassement de l'apologie et l'approfondissement de l'ecclésiologie. 7. Le péché dans l'Église est, après Journet et Mystici corporis, l'orientation catholique dominante. Cette conclusion est remise en question par la conscience nouvelle de la dimension sociale dans la culture et de la dimension communautaire de l'Église dans l'ecclésiologie. 8. Le tournant suscité par Jean XXIII et par Vatican II se ressent aussi dans notre problématique. 9. Les problèmes ouverts : péché de l'Église ? metanoia de l'Église ? Avec le concile et l'après-concile on a dénoué deux nœuds cruciaux : l'Église aussi peut (et doit) être considérée sujet de péché et la formule d'« église pécheresse » n'est pas contradictoire avec la sainteté de l'Église ni avec son indéfectibilité.Alberigo Giuseppe. Péché et sainteté dans l'Église pèlerine. In: Revue des Sciences Religieuses, tome 71, fascicule 2, 1997. pp. 233-252

Facteurs de laïcité au Concile Vatican II

There were many factors of laicality, or in other words of the process of « del clericalization » within the Church, during Vatican Council II. They were present at various levels in the Council's extensive and complex phenomenology. Care is taken here to bring out these several levels, which, though different, complement rather than contradict each other : I. Participation in the Council. II. The presence in Council agendas of difficult lay problems. III. Laicality as an essential, leading criterion for the formulation of the faith and for its utterance. Today it is possible to consider all these problems from a completely new perspective. Bearing in mind the way history has deposited thick layers of meaning on this problem, it is possible to move freely, also because of the greater, more vigorous awareness of the Church as people of God. The Christian community increasingly realizes the need to feel joined together by a common baptism, in its listening to the Word, and in the Eucharistie communion. It also realizes that the participation of every Christian and bishop (together with his ministers) in the unique priesthood of Christ must be different, but that the two priesthoods find themselves in a dialectic tension which is both continuous and fertile. The rediscovery of the Church as the people of God cannot restrict itself to weak declarations of principle, but to impact properly on the « being » of the Church and on the structures that support it, it must give new drive to certain aspects which are traditional but long since withered. The sensum fidelium must once again acquire a central place among the criteria of perception of the faith, the consensus of the people of God must rediscover a real influence within the process of the working out of ecclesial policies, and the reception these receive must be a decisive point for seeing whether the Church's orientation is valid or not.Les facteurs de laïcité, c'est-à-dire du processus de « décléricalisation » à l'intérieur de l'Église, sont nombreux au Concile Vatican II. Ils sont présents à différents niveaux de la grande et complexe phénoménologie conciliaire. On les met en lumière et les analyse, avec égard pour les différents niveaux, divers mais non contradictoires, mieux, complémentaires : I. la participation au Concile. II. la présence parmi les arguments conciliaires des nœuds problématiques sur les laïcs. III. la laïcité comme critère-guide pour la formulation de la foi et pour son annonce. Il est possible aujourd'hui de considérer toute cette problématique avec des yeux nouveaux. En tenant compte des épaisses couches d'alluvions déposées par l'histoire sur ce problème, on peut retrouver une liberté fondamentale, en vertu même de la prise de conscience plus vive de l'Église comme peuple de Dieu. La communauté chrétienne éprouve d'une manière de plus en plus pressante le besoin et la nécessité de se sentir unie dans le commun baptême, dans l'écoute de la Parole et dans la communion eucharistique. Elle perçoit aussi que la participation de chaque chrétien et de l'évêque (avec ses ministres) à l'unique sacerdoce du Christ est différente, mais que les deux sacerdoces se trouvent dans une tension dialectique continue et féconde. La redécouverte de l'Église comme peuple de Dieu ne peut se limiter à de faibles déclarations de principe, mais, pour avoir des incidences réelles sur l'être de l'Église et sur les structures qui la soutiennent, elle doit donner une nouvelle impulsion à quelques aspects, traditionnels mais longtemps atrophiés. Le sensus fidelium doit acquérir à nouveau une place centrale parmi les critères de discernement de la foi, le consensus du peuple de Dieu doit retrouver une incidence effective dans le processus d'élaboration des directives ecclésiales, l'accueil qu'elles reçoivent ne peut pas ne pas être un lieu décisif de vérification de la validité des orientations des Églises.Alberigo Giuseppe. Facteurs de laïcité au Concile Vatican II. In: Revue des Sciences Religieuses, tome 74, fascicule 2, 2000. pp. 211-225

L'ispirazione di un concilio ecumenico : le esperienze del cardinale Roncalli

Indagine volta a identificare nell'esperienza e negli scritti di A. G. Roncalli indizi significativi della successiva decisione di Giovanni XXIII di convocare il concilio Vaticano II. In tale prospettiva vengono esaminate le esperienze conciliari, sinodali e collegiali di Roncalli. Successivamente si allarga l'indagine anche alla sua percezione della maturazione di una svolta epocale e della necessità per la Chiesa di concentrarsi sulla sostanza della fede. L'elezione di Roncalli a papa causa un salto di qualità nella sua consapevolezza e nella sua responsabilità e catalizza nella decisione di convocare un concilio riflessioni accumulate lungo vari decenni.Alberigo Giuseppe. L'ispirazione di un concilio ecumenico : le esperienze del cardinale Roncalli. In: Le deuxième Concile du Vatican (1959-1965) Actes du colloque organisé par l'École française de Rome en collaboration avec l'Université de Lille III, l'Istituto per le scienze religiose de Bologne et le Dipartimento di studi storici del Medioevo e dell'età contemporanea de l'Università di Roma-La Sapienza (Rome 28-30 mai 1986) Rome : École Française de Rome, 1989. pp. 81-99. (Publications de l'École française de Rome, 113