Vatican II

Last week, just after announcing his resignation, Pope Benedict spoke to the priests of his diocese of Rome about his personal experience of the Second Vatican Council. 

He was present at the Council as a young priest and theological adviser. This brief article written by Cardinal Dulles in 2006 (Pope Benedict was elected in 2005) is a helpful summary of the role of Ratzinger the theologian at the Council.

"From Ratzinger to Benedict". Avery Cardinal Dulles.

The timing of Pope Benedict's call for the Year of Faith is to mark 50 years since the opening of the Second Vatican Council. The sixteen documents that were the initial fruit of the Council are not well known in the Catholic world.  Most Catholics would struggle to name even the general themes of more than a couple of the documents. Few have read any part of any document, and most Catholic's knowledge of the work of the Council is limited to a couple of vaguely correct soundbytes. I blogged about this a couple of weeks ago - (click here to read).

Last week's talk to the Rome priests has been published by the news agency www.zenit.org and is available on their website in four parts:

Part I  "So we went off to the Council not just with joy but with enthusiasm"

Part II  "But it was as if there were two parallel liturgies"

Part III "Now, with these themes, the 'Rhine alliance' so to speak had completed its work"

Part IV "There was the Council of the Fathers, the real Council, but there was also the council of the media."