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22
PhilosophicalThought
Introduction
“Thejoysandhopesandthesorrowsandanxietiesofpeopletoday,especially
ofthosewhoarepoorandafflicted,arealsothejoysandhopes,sorrowsand
anxietiesofthedisciplesofChrist,andthereisnothingtrulyhumanwhichdoes
notalsoaffectthem.”1ThusbeginsthePastoralConstitutionontheChurchin
theModernWorld,issuedbyPopePaulVIandtheSecondVaticanCouncil
onDecember7,1965,oftenreferredtobyitsfirstLatinwordsasGaudiumet
Spes.Joyandhopearebothbasichumanexperiencesandalsotheologicalterms
referringtogiftsfromGod.ThereisnothinginthehistoryofCatholicChurch
CouncilsthatisquitelikeGaudiumetSpes.Earliercouncilshadcondemned
heresies,clarifiedchurchteaching,andissueddisciplinaryrulesfortheorderof
thechurch.ButnoCouncilhadissuedadocumentlikethisone,devotedto“ex-
aminingthesignsofthetimesandinterpretingtheminthelightofthegospel.”2
TheCouncildescribedhumanityasbeingin“anewstageofitshistoryinwhich
fundamentalandrapidchangesaregraduallyextendingtothewholeglobe.”3
TheSecondVaticancouncilwasacutelyawarethatitsagewasdifferentfrom
earlieragesanditsoughttomakesenseofthissituationindialoguewithall
personsofgoodwill.Afterreflectingonthechallengingcontemporarysituation
ofhumanity,theconstitutioncloseswithamovingappealtoCatholicstowork
withallhumanstoshapeabetterworld:“SinceGodourFatheristheorigin
anddestinyofallthings,weareallcalledtobesistersandbrothers.Therefore,
inourcommonhumananddivinevocationwecanandshouldworktogether
withoutviolenceanddeceit,andintruepeace,tobuildtheworld.”4
Inthreecloselyrelateddocuments,GaudiumetSpes,NostraAetate(Decla-
rationontheChurch’sRelationtoNon-ChristianReligions),andDignitatisHu-
manae(DeclarationonReligiousFreedom),theSecondVaticanCouncilcalled
Catholicstodialogueandcooperationwithallpeopleofgoodwill,including
followersofotherreligioustraditions.WhiletheCatholicChurchhadalways
beenconcernedaboutthewell-beingofallhumans,theSecondVaticanCouncil
launchedanewerainCatholicrelationswithotherreligioustraditionsandwith
theentirehumancommunity.GaudiumetSpes,NostraAetate,andDignitatis
HumanaearewithoutprecedentinthehistoryofCatholicecumenicalcouncils.
Noearliercouncilhadtakensuchdramaticstepstoaddressallpeopleofgood
1GaudiumetSpes,n.1,inDecreesoftheEcumenicalCouncils,Vol.2,TrenttoVaticanII,
ed.NormanP.Tanner(London:Sheed&Ward/Washington,DC:GeorgetownUniversityPress,
1990),1069.AllquotationsfromtheSecondVaticanCouncilwillbefromthiscollection.
2GaudiumetSpes,n.4.
3Ibid.
4Ibid.,n.92.
