Vatican II

Did Vatican II Foster Religious Indifference? A Debate

Dr. Eduardo Echeverria (Professor of Philosophy and Systematic Theology) and Mr. Matt Gaspers (Managing Editor, Catholic Family News) debate whether Vatican II itself (and not just the “Spirit” of the council) fostered a sense of religious indifference among Catholics.

Priestly Ignorance of the New Mass

If priests are not aware of the origins of the new Mass, how can we expect fruitful dialog about the fact that some people prefer the preconciliar Mass to the modern one?

Vatican II and the Political Manichees

Vatican II quite rightly spoke of a “Universal Call to Holiness” and called upon the laity to exercise the apostolate in their particular spheres, which includes the political sphere.

Development of Doctrine and Its Discontents

Development of Doctrine—a legitimate way to understand how the Church’s teaching appears different in different ages—has become a way to introduce innovations contrary to the Church’s perennial teachings.

Four Scores Just Sixty Years Ago?

We are not confusing the blogosphere with reality about Vatican II. We are lamenting the confusion born from ambiguity and the party strife born from both. 

Joseph Ratzinger and the New Liturgical Movement

The struggle to define and to understand active participation is a fruit of two different conceptions of the liturgy. Joseph Ratzinger constantly affirmed the view that the liturgy is the the work of God and not a product of man.

How Many Roman Rites? (Guest: Peter Kwasniewski)

A recent series of articles by three respected Catholic scholars argued for the superiority of the new rite of the Mass over the old. We’ll talk to a liturgical expert about the two rites, their relationship, their development, and how they compare.

Vatican II: A Lawyer’s Perspective

The Second Vatican Council continues to provoke concern, as shown by the recent open letter from priests, scholars, and journalists in support of calls from Bishop Schneider, who believes it contains errors and ambiguities needing correction, and Archbishop Viganò, who has suggested it might be best to forget the whole thing. I don’t have much … Read more

Was Vatican II a Mistake?

Editor’s note: this article first appeared in the June 2004 print edition of Crisis Magazine. Most Catholics in 1959 probably didn’t even know what an ecumenical council was. And yet, here it was. Pope John XXIII announced that the goals of the Second Vatican Council would be “the renewal of the spirit of the Gospel … Read more

Young Catholic Activists Show the Oldies How It’s Done

The Catholic cybersphere has recently exploded, first with a video showing Pachamama statues being dumped into the Tiber, and then the video’s sequel, in which 26-year-old Alexander Tschugguel explained that he threw the statues in the river because he felt their presence in a Catholic church violated the First Commandment. It turns out Alexander and … Read more

SSPX: Back to the Bad Old Days?

“Tomorrow I’m leaving for Mexico,” Bishop Bernard Fellay tells me, “and then on to Cuba.” I balk. “What’s in Cuba?” The question seems to confuse him. “The faithful,” he explains. “They need Confirmation, too.” What’s the SSPX presence in Cuba like? “Small,” he tells me, “and mostly underground. They’re still badly persecuted by the communists.” … Read more

Why Vatican II’s Definition of Church Makes Sense

One of the most common criticisms of the Second Vatican Council is that it changed the teaching regarding the relationship between the idea of the Church of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church. Much of the debate among interpreters (and detractors) of Vatican II has centered around the phrase subsistit in, found in the conciliar … Read more

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