All at once a number of movements that had been
developing within the Church for many years, in areas like the biblical,
liturgical and ecumenical movements, received new encouragement and
determination. Within a few months Pope
John had died but the project was carried on – if a little more timidly – under
the guidance of Pope Paul VI.
There could be no doubt that the Council had
brought about a fundamental change in regard to the Catholic Church’s attitude
towards itself and its outlook on the world.
Not everyone of course would be in agreement as to the extent and
significance of the change. The
Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Heenan said: ‘No one can doubt that a
beginning of far-reaching importance has been made and that the Church will
never retrace the path it has chosen.... people without sealed minds could not
fail to recognise the changes. They
would be blind.’ In another article the
Cardinal spoke of the ‘depressing’ atmosphere at the beginning of the Council
and contrasted this with the ‘uplifting atmosphere at the end.’ The significance of the Council lay not just
in the documents that it produced but in the new spirit that was, in the course
of time, to remake the face of the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Ottaviani was one of the powerful figures
of the entrenched Curia during the Council.
In an interview he declared that he was concerned about the
‘over-boldness on the part of the laity’ and expressed the opinion that ‘some
of them might over-reach themselves and try to dominate the clergy, judging
from what they are already saying.’
Perhaps the most striking accomplishment of the Council was the
proclamation of Episcopal collegiality – the principle that the bishops form a
college and govern the Church together with the Pope, their head. While the Pope would become more responsive
to the views of the world-wide bishops, the bishops themselves should become
more responsive to the wishes of each other and should consult the views of the
clergy and faithful of their dioceses.
Collegiality if carried out to its logical conclusion would mean that
the leadership of the Church would listen to the views of all the baptised. Pope Paul established the Synod of Bishops as
a means of giving expression to collegiality.
Pope Francis is attempting to make the Synod of Bishops more effective
in giving expression to this sense of unity and family by ensuring that we all
have an opportunity to have an input into the deliberations of the Synod. This is something that has still a long way
to travel.
Another work in progress is the difficult task of
reform of the Roman Curia. Pope Paul was
persuaded during the Council to leave the Curia to reform itself. In the intervening fifty years no progress
had been made in this matter. It could
be argued that – especially in the long illness of Pope John Paul II and in the
papacy of Benedict XVI - the situation became worse. Pope Francis is battling to bring change about. One of his first acts was to create a new
body of nine Cardinals – none of whom are in the Curia – who are his special
advisors and closest confidants. They
have a higher status that the Curia but it seems that the Curia don’t believe
this! Pope Francis is showing remarkable
patience and gentleness in dealing with this long-standing situation. We hope and pray that he will be given the
strength and wisdom to bring about a reform that will make a relapse impossible. We are told in the third chapter of the Book
of the Apocalypse of the promise of Christ; ‘Behold, I have caused doors to be
opened before thee, which no one can shut’.
