Church History · 1962 to 1965

The Second Vatican Council

From 1962 to 1965, about 2,500 Catholic bishops met in Rome for the Second Vatican Council. It allowed the Mass in local languages, urged every Catholic to read the Bible, and lifted the 1054 excommunications with the Orthodox.

Read it in the Bible: John 17:20 to 23 Psalm 119:105 Nehemiah 8:8 Ephesians 4:3 to 6

The Second Vatican Council, usually called Vatican II, was a huge meeting of the world's Catholic bishops in Rome. It opened on October 11, 1962, and closed on December 8, 1965. It met in four sessions in Saint Peter's Basilica, with nearly 2,500 bishops taking part at one time or another. Vatican II is the reason most Catholics now hear Mass in their own language, why Catholics are encouraged to read the Bible, and why Catholics and Orthodox Christians formally lifted their 900 year old excommunications.

Why Was Vatican II Called?

Pope John XXIII surprised almost everyone when he announced the council in January 1959. He was 77 and many thought he would be a quiet placeholder pope. He wanted the church to speak to the modern world in a fresh way. He used the Italian word aggiornamento, which means bringing up to date.

John XXIII died in June 1963, after the first session. His successor, Pope Paul VI, kept the council going and closed it in 1965. The council produced 16 documents: 4 constitutions, 9 decrees and 3 declarations.

What Did Vatican II Change About the Mass?

Before Vatican II, the Mass in the Western Catholic Church was said almost entirely in Latin, often with the priest facing away from the people. The council's document on worship, Sacrosanctum Concilium, was approved in December 1963. It allowed much wider use of local languages and called for people to take an active part.

In the United States, English began to be used in the Mass on November 29, 1964. A revised order of the Mass took effect in 1969, and the new Roman Missal was published in 1970. Latin was not banned, and some Catholics still love and attend the older Latin Mass.

Protestants may notice a bit of history here. Martin Luther and William Tyndale got in serious trouble for putting worship and Scripture into the language of ordinary people. About 400 years later, Rome agreed that people should hear God's word in a language they understand.

What Did Vatican II Say About Reading the Bible?

This is one of the biggest changes for ordinary Catholics. The council's document on revelation, Dei Verbum, was approved on November 18, 1965. It says, “Easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful.” It encourages good translations into every language, including ones made together with other Christians.

It also urges all believers to read the Bible often and quotes the early church scholar Jerome, who made the Latin Vulgate: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” That line could be printed on the cover of every Bible on earth, and nobody would complain.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

After Vatican II, Bible study groups, Catholic study Bibles and new Catholic translations grew quickly. The Catholic edition of the Revised Standard Version, approved in 1965 and 1966, was one Bible that Catholics and Protestants could both read.

What Happened Between Catholics and Orthodox in 1965?

In 1054 a papal representative in Constantinople and the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other. That moment is usually called the Great Schism, the split between the Catholic West and the Orthodox East.

On December 7, 1965, the day before the council closed, Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I issued a joint declaration. In it they agreed to “remove both from memory and from the midst of the Church the sentences of excommunication” from 1054. It was read at the same time in Rome and in Istanbul.

This did not reunite the two churches. They still disagree on the pope's authority and some other teachings. But it was a real step of peace after more than 900 years.

that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17:21

What Else Did Vatican II Teach?

The church as the people of God. Lumen Gentium, from 1964, stressed that the whole church, not just the clergy, is God's people.
Other Christians. Unitatis Redintegratio, from 1964, spoke of Protestants and Orthodox as separated brothers and encouraged dialogue.
Religious freedom. Dignitatis Humanae, from 1965, taught that no one should be forced to believe.
The Jewish people. Nostra Aetate, from 1965, rejected blaming all Jews for the death of Jesus and condemned hatred of Jews.

How Do People View Vatican II Today?

Catholics still debate the council. Many see it as a breath of fresh air that brought the Bible and worship closer to the people. Some traditional Catholics feel the changes went too far and that something beautiful was lost when Latin faded. Most Catholic leaders say the council should be read as continuing the church's teaching, not breaking from it.

Many Protestants welcomed the new openness to Scripture, while still disagreeing with Catholic teaching on things like the papacy and the role of tradition. Explaining those differences fairly is the goal, not winning points.

Why Does Vatican II Matter for You?

Vatican II reminds every Christian, Catholic or not, that God's word is meant to be read by ordinary people in their own language. That was the dream of Wycliffe, Tyndale and Luther, and it is the dream behind this site. The Wycliffe Bible and Tyndale's New Testament are both on this site if you want to see where English Bibles began.

It also shows that old wounds can begin to heal. A 900 year old feud did not end in one day, but two leaders chose to forgive. Jesus prayed that His people would be one so the world would believe. That prayer is still worth praying.

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Questions People Ask

What was Vatican II?

Vatican II was the Second Vatican Council, a meeting of the world's Catholic bishops in Rome from October 11, 1962, to December 8, 1965. It produced 16 documents on worship, Scripture, the church and its relationship to the modern world.

Did Vatican II get rid of the Latin Mass?

No. It allowed much wider use of local languages in the Mass, and most parishes switched to them. Latin was never banned, and the older Latin Mass is still celebrated in some places.

Did Vatican II tell Catholics to read the Bible?

Yes. Dei Verbum said easy access to Scripture should be provided for all the faithful and urged frequent Bible reading. It quoted Jerome: ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.

Did Vatican II end the Great Schism?

No, but on December 7, 1965, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I lifted the mutual excommunications of 1054. The Catholic and Orthodox churches remain separate but have kept talking since.

Sources

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