SSPP Church HistoryPost-Reformation to Vatican II

The First Vatican Council (1869-1870)

The Purpose of the CouncilThe Documents of the

Council• The Council was called to…

▫ Condemn modernism & rationalism (a heresy that rejects the existence of the supernatural, including the existence of God)

▫ Restate the Faith in areas in which it had been attacked

▫ Provide safeguards for Christian education & marriage

▫ Review clerical life▫ Issue doctrinal statement on the

Church Examine the relationship

between the Church & the new modern democratic states

• The Council issued two major documents:▫ Dei Filius: reexamined

the relationship between the Church, the Faith, revelation, & reason

▫ Pastor Aeternus: defined the role of the pope in the Church & his special charism of infallibility

The First Vatican Council (1869-1870)

Papal Infallibility The Interruption of the Council

• These conditions must be present for the pope to teach infallibly, that is, without error▫ He must teach as

successor of St. Peter, not just the bishop of Rome

▫ The subject must be on a matter of faith & morals

▫ The teaching must be binding on all the faithful

▫ The pope must declare the teaching to be definitive

• The Council was interrupted by the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War▫ Pope Pius IX suspended

the council indefinitely▫ It was not officially

closed until just before the opening of the Second Vatican Council

The Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (1917)• The Blessed Virgin Mary

appeared to 3 Portuguese children:▫ Jacinta▫ Francisco▫ Lucia

• Mary told them that God was greatly offended by the sins of the world

• She asked for the children & all Catholics to:▫ Pray the Rosary daily▫ Make personal sacrifices

for the conversion of sinners

▫ To consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart

The Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (1917)• There were many

supernatural marks verified the authenticity of Fatima▫ Our Lady predicted the

ending of World War I▫ Our Lady predicted that

World War II would begin during the reign of Pope Pius XI

• Jacinta, Francisco, & Lucia all lead simple lives of humility & holiness▫ Our Lady predicted that

Jacinta & Francisco would die at a young age

▫ 15 years after her death, the body of Jacinta was exhumed & was found to be completely incorrupt

▫ Lucia went on to become a Discalced Carmelite nun

▫ Pope John Paul II beatified Francisco & Jacinta in 2000

The Miracle of the Sun at Fatima• Our Lady predicted the

“miracle of the sun,” which showed divine approval of Fatima’s message▫ The sun “danced” in the

sky before 70,000 eyewitnesses

▫ Some were believers, agnostic, atheists, and others who were as far as 25 miles away

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)The Purpose of the Council Documents of the Council

• The council was called to…▫ Develop ways to present the

teachings of the Church to those who were skeptical

▫ Take the Gospel message to a world in desperate need of God’s love after living through 2 world wars

▫ Demonstrate the validity of the teachings of the Church rather than condemn erroneous & heretical views

• There were a total of 16 documents; 4 of them were major documents called:▫ Sacrosanctum Concilium:

called for a renewal of the Liturgy

▫ Lumen Gentium: discussed the Church’s mission

▫ Dei Verbum: discussed how the truths of the faith are transmitted, inspired, & interpreted

▫ Gaudium et Spes: examined how the Church related to the modern world

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)• The Council called for the

laity to live out the call for holiness▫ It’s not just a call for

priests & religious sisters, but we’re all supposed to live lives of holiness

• The Council also allowed for a greater acceptance of the use of the vernacular languages, but maintained the primacy of Latin