Vatican 2 Essay

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Vatican II was called for by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959 and launched a new era for all Catholics. It was one of the most representative in terms of attendance around 2,600 bishops were there and 400 theologians. The document contained four constitutions, three declarations, and nine decrees. This document brought about many changes from Vatican I a few of the important ones are the declaration on religious freedom, declaration on the relationship of the church to non-christen religions, the Dogmatic constitution on the church, and the decree on Ecumenism. Vatican II main ideological changes included allowing religious freedom because god speaks though all religions, including the whole people of god in the liturgy, and made the church more adaptable to the changing times. This also brought about many changes in the actual mass practices …show more content…

Church as mystery proclaims that the church is in the nature of sacrament and is a tool and sign of communion with God. The church as the Kingdom of God this does not mean the church itself is the Kingdom of God but it exists to serve the Kingdom of God meaning that the church is always in a state of renewal and transformation. Church and people of God is the idea in Vatican two that all who are baptized have a sacred bond though Christ, and also that the responsibility of the church’s mission falls to all people. The Church as a hierarchical in Vatican II wanted to rebalance the church authority between bishops and the Pope. It stated that the bishops are the successors of the apostles and that the Pope was the successor of Peter and that the bishops and Pope were connected just like Peter and the other disciples were. Vatican II made it so that bishops are the foundation of unity of their diocese just as the Pope is the foundation of unity of the entire

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