INTRODUCTION
When Pope John Paul XXIII proclaimed there would be a Vatican Council in January of 1959, he set the world on its heels. John Paul had only been elected three months prior to his announcement and there had not been a council of this nature in nearly a century. Its purpose was for the Church to possibly embrace a path that much was much more in keeping with modern day society rather than relying on the previous trail of a literal interpretation of the Bible.
Held in St. Peter’s Basilica on October 11, 1962, the conclave hosted up to 2,500 bishops, members of the cloth and observers in four sessions between that date and 1965. The pope even invited representatives from other religions to review the proceedings. The council fashioned 16 documents that laid the groundwork for what many consider to be the backbone of today’s Catholic Church.
St Peter’s Basilica courtesy of http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=QLj6JSIwy-BSTM&tbnid=aYd_x03mDxZVsM:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolineeddleman.blogspot.com%2F&ei=Tch6UpSSJsm2qQH8goH4Ag&psig=AFQjCNHIzLlo2CiT3RucAhmAgLGatqEryA&ust=1383864781713263
Pope John XXII lived from November 25, 1881 to June 3, 1963 and was the top member of the Catholic Church from 1958 until he passed away. His given name was Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli and came from a family of 14 that tilled the land in Lombardy. He first became a priest in August of 1904 and rose throughout the ladder of the faith until his election as pope at age 77. Pope John was the first of his order to select John as his namesake in over five centuries. Many anticipated he would be highly conservative, but this pope had very strong views on equality and was extremely passionate as well as progressive. He is recognized as the “Good Pope” and will be sainted in 2014.
Pope John Paul XXIII courtesy of http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=NN8GuIGetl4EpM&tbnid=kRCk-5DKGVi9eM:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicsun.org%2F2013%2F08%2F20%2Fcanonization-date-for-john-paul-ii-john-xxiii-to-be-known-in-september%2F&ei=j8t6Uv3zHMieqQG3zIHgBw&psig=AFQjCNG1EnXpvixNKjuqg-FIvLUSJERMyw&ust=1383865615542881
He came into this world as Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini on September 26 1897 and garnered the chief spot in the Catholic Church on June 21, 1963. He held this position until his death on August 6, 1978. He concluded the Second Vatican Council in 1965 after Pope John’s death and took his name Paul to further the message of Christ. Paul’s time as pope was characterized by sweeping church reforms that had never been seen within the order and he built strong relationships between his faith, the Orthodox and Protestants. His ideas about birth control and the rich providing for the poor were very prominent during his time as pope. Many viewed him as quite progressive and he was elevated to the status of Venerable just last year.
Pope Paul VI courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paolovi.jpg.
DISCRIMINATION (20th Century)
Although Australia does not have an established religion, nearly 25 percent of its denizens are Catholic and by 1900 Catholic School systems flourished within the nation’s boundaries. Catholicism in Australia was mainly practiced by Irish who had immigrated to the country, which did cause serious problems within society as many of its political policies favored England and were in direct conflict with the tenets of the church.
The 1991 mini-series the Brides of Christ shows members of the Catholic faith grappling with the teachings of their religion while contending with a world that was swiftly altering. In the series Diane forsakes her fiancé and decides on a life with the church because she feels God is beckoning her to leave her old life behind her.
Photograph courtesy of http://www.australiantelevision.net/brides-of-christ/episodes.html.
Episode Two of the series chronicles the path of Frances who is new to convent school and wrestles with fitting in while growing up in a new world order. This would be the same type of situation a 15-year-old today would encounter when they first attended a Catholic school. It is always difficult for girls of that age to make friends and adapt to life no matter what time period this transpires in, but would probably be even harder for Frances during the sixties, as there were no set boundaries or rules, the war in Vietnam had people all over the world highly divided and the sexual revolution was picking up steam. In our time, many of these things had long been established and do not come with the turmoil of Frances’ era.
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Photograph courtesy of http://www.australiantelevision.net/brides-of-christ/episodes.html.
EPISODE THREE OF THE BRIDES OF CHRIST
In this edition of the show, the Second Vatican Council turned the entire school around and put the nuns in what they considered to be quite a quandary. When the new orders came from Rome, it completely altered how the Catholic faith functioned, as it had always been rather old fashioned with very strict guidelines. The two popes were attempting to move the church into the modern era to deal with issues such as equality and contraception. This made the nuns have to make some difficult choices and teach their students in an entirely new way, whether they believed in what the council espoused or not. It involved very deep and personal decision-making.
Photograph courtesy of http://www.australiantelevision.net/brides-of-christ/episodes.html.
THE BRIDES OF CHRIST CHARACTER DIANE (SR CATHERINE)
As mentioned previously, the series opens with Diane deciding to enter a convent instead of pursuing marriage vows and in doing so, she astounds all those who are close to her. Throughout the progression of the show, Diane continues to adhere to her faith although the Second Vatican Council has definitely impacted her choice radically. By episode six, Diane, now known as Sister Catherine, is left as the head of the school while the Mother Superior travels to Rome. While she is on her journey she instructs Catherine to teach the church’s views on contraception. Catherine undergoes a personal catharsis when the church’s rules do not coincide with what she believes and questions the decision she made to leave her secular life in the rear view mirror. Many women in Catherine’s position today would never had made such a quick choice without researching the faith extensively and with how society has changed, many would leave the church.
CONCLUSION
Pope John Paul desperately wanted the church to catch up and guide its members through a time of great political and social strife. He desired it to be a beacon of light through turbulent days, hence his implementation of the Second Vatican Council. In some ways his vision came to be a reality as the Catholic faith has loosened its hold on many customs, such as birth control, it chose to take a hard party line with but the church is still falling behind. Although it might be a conundrum for them to support abortions, they should seriously consider doing so under even limited circumstances and you don’t ever see them taking a lead on what could be considered hot button political issues. Also, with the child molestation charges, it appears the Catholic Church needs to get its own affairs in order before it can move forward into modern times.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/
- http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/624014/Second-Vatican-Council
- http://www.npr.org/2012/10/10/162573716/why-is-vatican-ii-so-important
- http://vatican2voice.org/
- http://www.papalencyclicals.net/vatican2.htm
- http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2012/oct/11/second-vatical-council-50-years-catholicism
- http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=10034
- http://theo.kuleuven.be/en/research/centres/centr_vatii/
- http://www.pul.it/ricerca/centro-studi-e-ricerche-sul-concilio-vaticano-ii/?lang=en
