The Second Vatican Council - Foundation Documents
Intro
On October 11, 1962, Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council in Peter’s Basilica, Rome, in order to renew the Church and make what many people considered long overdue changes. Vatican II was an ‘ecumenical council’, meaning it was a gathering of the Christian Bishops of the world, not just the local or interregional. The purpose of the second Vatican council was to bring the Church up to date with the ever moving modern times, also known as aggionamento or as Pope John XXIII put it; “Throw open the window of the church and let the spirit blow through.” He also opened the council to all Christian denominations in a pastoral rather than doctrinal movement. The council proceeded over four consecutive autumns from 1962 to 1965. Finally with much lively discussion and debate the council reached agreement on 16 major documents. Discussion will center on the Four Foundational Documents, written to address the liturgical changes made by the council. Vatican II is still to this day considered one of, if not the, most important religious events of the 20th century and is a defining landmark in the Churches history.

Sacrosanctum Concilium
Sacrosanctum Consilium is the first of the documents of Vatican II. This document addresses the liturgical changes and is still today what people most associate with Vatican II. The council document changed the understanding of the liturgy, first in regards to the faithful and their call to active participation in liturgical celebrations. It secondly focused on the improvement of the relationship between the parish and its clergy. It further encouraged a sense of community within each parish, but the main focus was the common celebration of Sunday Mass. Some Catholics, particularly older patrons, found some changes disturbing. They felt the sanctity of Mass was at risk due to the introduction of new traditions, such as the Mass being celebrated in the vernacular language. But this liturgical renewal emphasized the Mass as a prayer and the call to active and intelligent participation by the whole body of Christ. Sacrosanctum Consilium can be summed up by the term ‘Aggionamento’, which means to bring up to date and in turn make the church more meaningful to the lay people. It unified the Church through the strengthening of the relationships between laity and clergy, incorporating the worthwhile customs and traditions of differing cultures and people. This document is said to be the one that had the largest impact of the four foundation documents, lasting over decades of society constant changes.
Guadium et Spes
Guadium et Spes was all about the human person as an individual, the community and an entire sense of human family. It was concerned in finding the true and just response to the enormous challenges of the modern times. The central theme of this document is the establishment of social conditions that can help safeguard three important values: the dignity of the human person, the common good and the unity of mankind. The document has made a huge influence on the social teachers of the wider Christian churches. In the past the Church was willing to turn a blind eye to political abuses in return for a guarantee of its privileges and rights, while now the church is, or is expected to be, at the forefront of protest against the infringements of people’s freedoms and rights. It most importantly encouraged the tolerance on non-Christian religions and the endorsement and respect for other spiritual paths. “We are all one flock” Bishop Bianchini. It challenged lay people in all walks of life to continue directly in the work of the apostles of Christ.

Dei Verbum
Dei Verbum outlines the close relationship between the Word of God (the bible), scripture, tradition and the Magisterium. It clarified that the Magisterium is not above the word of God but serves it faithfully and it explained how the Roman Catholic understanding of the bible, tradition and church authority, all relate to one another. Throughout the document it is heavily illustrated that the bible is the word of God and is intended for all people, in all times and all places, not just for those following one path of life. The bible has become very much a book of the church. There was a time when it would appear that Catholics were discouraged from reading the bible. While a carry around bible was considered a protestant thing to do. But since Dei Verbum, there has been change in this regard. The bible is now very much a Catholic Holy Book. The council itself strongly recommended that there should be open access to the bible for all faithful. As a result of this there was an explosion of literature of scripture on different levels with the introduction of so many new editions of bible. As Dei Verbum states, God continues to talk to us in our daily experiences and in the lives of those who came before us. But above all he speaks to us in sacred scripture.

Lumen Gentium
In a direct way this document explicitly continued and completed the work of Vatican I. In particular it incorporated almost verbatim the controversial statement on papal infallibility, meaning the knowing of the truth with full certainty, with addition that infallibility also resided in the body of bishops when exercising magisterium in conjunction with the pope. This somewhat centralized the fact that bishops are the continuation of the apostles of which Peter was the head. This resolved the ancient tension that was held between the pope and councils. Also in this document the biblical teaching that the church as a whole are the people of God, including clergy and laity. This reserved the explicit assertion that the clergy alone were the church. This document introduced the awareness that salvation in heaven is open to all. If someone sincerely follows the commands of God, that divine action is visible in the eyes of the Church, meaning that all – not just Catholics – can go to heaven.

Conclusion
Some theologians credit Vatican II, especially Lumen Gentium, with the decline in Church membership that has taken place since the end of the Second Vatican Council. They believed the ambiguity in some parts of the documents may have caused people to lose feel that the Church was no longer a necessary part of their life.