Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
LeoD.Lefebure,GaudiumetSpes,NostraAetate,DignitatisHumanaeł
GaudiumetSpes
27
IntheinitialplanningfortheCouncil,therewasnodocumentthatcoveredthe
topicoftheChurchandthemodernworlddirectly;indeed,therewasnodirect
precedentsuchasstatementinthehistoryofCatholicecumenicalcouncils.
Traditionally,councilshadruledonquestionsofdoctrineandhadestablished
rulesforChurchorder,buttheyhadnotinterpretedtheirageatlengthand
soughtadialogueandcollaborationwithallpeopleofgoodwill.TheCatholic
ChurchcouncilshadneverbeforeadmittedthattheChurchhadmademis-
takesorbeenpartlyresponsibleformisunderstandings.TheCatholicChurch
hadneveropenlystatedthatitcouldlearnfromtheworld.Councilshadnot
directlyaddressedissuessuchaspoverty,socialjustice,andthedevelopment
ofmanycultures.
Intheopeningsessionin1962,CardinalLeoJozefSuenensproposedatwo-
foldmissionfortheCouncilregardingtheChurchadintraandtheChurch
adextra;thisdevelopedintoadocumentontheChurchintheModernWorld
beissued.Themethodunderlyingthedocumentisamongitsmostimportant
contributionstotheChurch’sself-understanding.TheSecondVaticanCouncil
acceptedhistoricalconsciousness,theawarenessthatallofhumanlifeisin
aconstantprocessofdevelopmentandchange,includingtheChurchandthe
understandingoftheGospel.Thisrecognitionopenedthewaytohistoricaland
literarycriticalstudiesoftheBible,tomorenuanceddiscussionsofthehistory
ofChurchteaching,andtotheneedforinterpretingthesignsofthetimesin
thepresentday.TheSecondVaticanCouncilchangedthewaytheChurchun-
derstandsitselfconcretelyintheworldandthewaytheChurchcommunicates
withtheworld.
GaudiumetSpeslooksattheentirehumancommunityinrelationtoChris-
tianrevelation.Revelationfosterscommunityandhelpstodeepensociallife.
Revelationteacheshumansourcommonoriginanddestinyandthecommandto
loveourneighbor;theseprinciplessupporteffortstorealizetheunityandinter-
dependenceofthehumanrace.13Thenormforallinstitutionsisthedevelopment
oftheperson.However,theCouncilisveryawarethatinmanysettingssocial
conditionspreventpeoplefromexercisingtheirproperplaceinlife.14Itstresses
theimportanceofrespectandlove,especiallyforthosewhoaredifferentfrom
us,includingevenour“enemies.”15GaudiumetSpescallsforunderstandingand
dialogueandacceptsthedistinctionthatPopeJohnXXIIIhadmade:wherethe
earlierCatholicpositionstressedthaterrorhasnorights,GaudiumetSpes,like
13GaudiumetSpes,n.24.
14Ibid.,n.25.
15Ibid.,n.28.
