Rev. Ralph Wiltgen: The Rhine Flows Into the Tiber: A History of Vatican II

[Stone]

THE FOURTH SESSION
September 14 to December 8, 1965

SOLVING THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS

At Ariccia, a suburb of Rome, the schema on the Church in the modern world was subjected to thorough revision during a week of meetings in early February, 1965. Present were twenty-nine Council Fathers, thirty-eight periti and some twenty laymen, in addition to men and women auditors. The central subcommission then worked on the revision for another week, and in early April the text was approved by the Joint Commission (Theological Commission and Commission on the Apostolate of the Laity). The Coordinating Commission approved the new schema on May 11 and Pope Paul gave it his approval on May 28.

In the process, the schema had been expanded from forty-five to 122 pages. Since the supplement had been incorporated in the text, the entire schema had to be discussed once more on the Council floor. The discussion continued from September 21 to October 8. Archbishop Garrone of Toulouse, in presenting the schema to the general assembly, said that it had been so extensively altered in size and content because the Joint Commission had been anxious “scrupulously to satisfy the wishes expressed by the Council Fathers.”

Cardinal Bea called the Latin of the schema “frequently unintelligible” and “unworthy of the Council.” Although the text was to be issued in several modern languages, the Latin version, he insisted, was the only official one. A fundamental revision of the Latin was therefore necessary; otherwise there would be “endless discussions as to its meaning, and the doctrinal authority of the document would suffer by reason of the uncertainty of the text.”

Cardinal Konig of Vienna asked for the introduction of more fundamental principles in the schema which would show that the Church “always had the task of diagnosing the signs of the times, and that new attempts must continually be made to achieve such analyses.” Like Cardinal Siri of Genoa, who spoke immediately after him, Cardinal Konig called for the inclusion of concepts that had been omitted by those who had prepared the schema, concepts such as “sin, the truth of the Cross, the need for repentance and the hope of resurrection with Christ ” Only thus could the danger be averted of “promising a paradise on earth and a solution to all problems, something that cannot be realized save in the world to come.”

In the name of ninety-one Scandinavian and German-speaking Council Fathers, Cardinal Dopfner of Munich said that the schema had made much progress. It presented the problems more clearly, set forth more profound doctrine, and used a language which was better suited to modern man. At the same time, he said, it did not clearly distinguish the natural 1 and supernatural orders, nor did it adequately describe the deep consequences of the state of sin. He also wanted the text to state more precisely how faith could illumine and strengthen the world.

Speaking for a group of Italian bishops, Archbishop Giuseppe Amici of Modena said that the entire text needed revision, since it was “only a first step toward dialogue with the world.” In form and substance it was unsatisfactory, because it only affirmed “in simple propositions of common sense what everyone regarded as obvious.” Since the text said little to men who desired to know the “authentic Christian concept of life,” it would not succeed in establishing dialogue with all men.

Bishop Russell McVinney of Providence, Rhode Island, asked that the schema reassert the necessity of obedience to lawful authority, especially since the decline of public authority, both civil and religious, was “one of the chief causes of the constant decay of moral standards in our world.”

Bishop Paulus Rusch of Innsbruck, Austria, said that philosophical considerations prevailed over theological considerations in the schema, that the text was static in its approach rather than dynamic, and that it was
more abstract than practical.

Coadjutor Archbishop Simon Lourdusamy of Bangalore supported the text on behalf of sixty-two bishops of India, but indicated that certain improvements were desirable. The description of man in the schema applied to industrialized areas of the world, he said, “but what about the greater part of humanity, in Africa, Asia and Latin America?” He asked that the reasoning of the schema should be based on theology, rather than on natural philosophy.

Bishop Mason of El Obeid, Sudan, said that the text was so long that modern men would hesitate to read it. He suggested that the schema should confine itself to the present generation, since future generations would have their own bishops to look after them. He also asked that debate on the schema should be prudently limited so that sufficient time might remain for other topics which, he felt, pertained more closely to the renewal of the Church.

Cardinal Frings of Cologne called for a substantial reorganization of the entire text because of a dangerous confusion between human progress, resulting from dialogue, and supernatural salvation, wrought by Christ’s mission.

Coadjutor Bishop Elchinger of Strasbourg said that the schema did not strictly follow the plan which it had laid down for itself of showing how the Church understood its presence and activity in the modern world. It was not enough for the Council to repeat generalities already known to all. The schema should deal, he said, not with the modern world, but with the Church in the modern world, that is, in its new relationships to the world.

Cardinal Gracias of Bombay announced that five laymen in India had made a study of an English translation of the schema and had given it unanimous praise, saying that in this document the Church really did have something to say which was relevant to modern problems.

Bishop Hadrianus Ddungu of Masaka, Uganda, speaking on behalf of ninety-four bishops, said that the subject of racial discrimination was treated much too lightly and too confusedly in the schema, since only four lines were devoted to the problem and its solution. The problem should be treated forcefully, at greater length, and without ambiguity.

Archbishop Emile Blanchet, Rector of the Institut Catholique of Paris, said that the schema’s description of contemporary culture was inadequate, since it said nothing about history and philosophy. The style, too, was faulty, he said. In his view, everything was treated with “undue optimism, as though all differences could be composed by good will.”

Cardinal Bueno y Monreal of Seville found fault with the text for omitting any reference to the organization of collective production, “although many await the Church’s judgment on this aspect of present-day economic life.” He wished to have the text revised so that it might include references to the “possible common ownership of land.” The schema should mention the more human and Christian concept of such enterprises as communities of persons bringing their materials, technical skill and labor to the common task of production, and then sharing the profits in accordance with their contributions.

i Auxiliary Bishop Edward Swanstrom of New York City, Director of the National Catholic Welfare Conference Relief Services, praised the 1 schema for treating “in an admirable manner the searing issue of hunger, disease, ignorance and over-all misery within our human family.” He proposed, practically, “that the Church launch a deep and long-term campaign of education, inspiration and moral influence to promote among Christians and all men of good will a vital understanding and concern for world poverty,” and he suggested that a secretariat should be established for this purpose.

Coadjutor Archbishop Fernandes of Delhi, speaking in the name of all the bishops of India and more than 100 other Council Fathers from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and Canada, called for a permanent postconciliar commission “for the promotion of international justice and the integrated development of all peoples.” Through such an organization, the Church could use its influence and moral authority “so that gradually the political, social and economic structures of all nations will be oriented, not toward war, not even defensive war, but toward the establishment of true and lasting peace.”

Bishop Joseph Hoffner of Munster, speaking on behalf of eighty German-speaking bishops, said that Chapter 3, on the social and economic life of man, should be completely recast. The text was too optimistic, he said, giving the impression that the sincere cooperation of men was the only thing needed for a just social order. The idea was false because “social injustice will disappear only when sin disappears.”

Bishop Mariano Gaviola, of Cabanatuan City, Philippines, said that the schema seemed to endorse the theory that the over-population of the earth in the near future was a certainty. The Commission responsible for the schema, he said, should also consider the opposite scientific theories, which dismissed the theory of over-population “as something not even probable, at least if considered in relation to the land of the whole earth which has been given to man to inhabit.”

Bishop Alexandre Renard of Versailles said that the first half of the schema, on “The Church and Man’s Falling,” was worthy of the Council, but that the second half, on “Some Problems of Special Urgency” seemed weak, and should be more modestly entitled “Notes for the Solution of Certain Difficulties,” or something along those lines. The schema, more-over, appeared to display excessive optimism. The emphasis on “basic human values” gave the impression that these were hardly contaminated by original sin, and that they would lead to Christ. “Metaphysically this is not far from the truth,” he added, “but psychologically these values can either open or close the door to faith.”

When the discussion ended, Archbishop Garrone said that the sharp criticisms voiced by the Council Fathers had been expected. The Joint Commission would try to shorten the text, he said, and in the major revision now required, it would attempt to consider all the views presented, even though many conflicted with one another.

On October 4, while the Council Fathers were discussing the manner of the Church’s dialogue with the modern world, Pope Paul was flying across the Atlantic to do the very thing that they were talking about. Immediately upon landing on American soil, he carved a cross in the sky, saying, “May the cross of blessing which we now trace over your skies and your land preserve those gifts which Christ gave you and guaranteed to you: peace, concord, freedom, justice, and above all the vision of life in the hope of immortality. God bless this land of yours!”

Some hours later, he addressed the United Nations General Assembly, and said, “We bring to this Organization the suffrage of our recent predecessors, that of the entire Catholic episcopate and our own, convinced as we are that this Organization represents the obligatory path of modern civilization and world peace.”

The Holy Father’s fearless step had the immediate effect of giving the Council Fathers in Rome renewed confidence in him. On the following day, they extended their meeting in St. Peter’s so that they might be able to greet and cheer him on his return to the Vatican, and to hear an immediate report on his visit to the United Nations.