One of the
primary motivations for
John XXIII to call the Second
Vatican Council was
ecumenical. He took stock of
20th Century Europe and realized that
Christianity had failed the
world. While the
Protestants and
Catholics had been more or less
bickering, two
world wars had occurred, and the
churches, both Catholic and Protestant, had
failed to give aid fully. The
Body of Christ was
splintered, and movements towards
unity — but not
uniformity — were needed.
In order for
ecumenical activities to take place, it was
necessary to
clarify the teachings of the
Roman Catholic Church, which consisted largely of stripping away layers of "historical
varnish" and return to the bare basics of the
early Church.
In this regard, the Second Vatican Council was not as
revolutionary as many have
perceived it to be. While 20th Century
theologians – notably
Karl Rahner and
Bernard Lonergan – provided the theological
underpinnings for the council,
Sacred Scripture and the
Patristic Writings were the
primary texts drawn upon in the drafting of the sixteen documents of the Council.
As to the
turmoil within the Church as a result of the Second Vatican Council, it was something to be
anticipated: historically, any time there was a major
ecumenical council within the Roman Catholic Church, major
upheaval followed. Conventional
wisdom holds that three
generations will be "lost" before stability returns and the full-flowering of the Council occurs.