vince describes catholic reality before the second vatican council.
kakki describes catholic reality since the second vatican council.
angelo roncalli (pope john xxiii) was the real modern pope of peace,
not onl;y penning the seminal encyclycle "Pacem in Terris" (Peace on Earth),
but thankfully calling the second vatican ecumenical council.
This council revolutionalized and modernized the church, making it biblical,
ecumenical more (in theory first), services in the vernacular,
raised the status of the episcopacy, raised the status of the laity....
the list is endless and the effect monumental...
the principles of colleagiality and peace-making
thoroughly permeated the modern r.c. church in north america
and western europe. Hundreds of thousands of priests
and religious' lives were changed almost overnight...many were radicalized.
Thomas Merton, Fr. Daniel Berrigan, Phillip Berrigan, missions abroad..
.the social gospel, even liberation theology gained a threshold...
actually the present pope has vigorously tried to turn the church back
to pre-vatican ii ways...
he has failed to carry on the stream of vatican ii in directions it was
heading -
marriage of priests, role of women, synod of bishops,
annulment and divorce reform...
this is not to deny that there is a danger in every swing of pendulums...
that is, the supernatural "good news" of christian revelation at times
has suffered at the hands of 'social gospellers' and radicals
when they get too high on their "causes'"
at the expense of listening to the apostles...
the apostles are interested in regeneration first,
and from that, society can be changed ....
however, knowing that the world will not be transformed until Christ
returns...
thats why angelo roncalli viewed himself as a centrist (like FDR!)
For a look at Pacem in Terris:
http://www.osjspm.org/cst/pt.htm
For a look at the inspiring documents of the second vatican council:
http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/vatican2.asp
shane
