Keys for understanding the Second Vatican Council through the eyes of Benedict XVI




May 21, 2012. (Romereports.com) The Second Vatican Council will turn 50 in the coming month of October. To mark the occasion, the Vatican released a book that translates to “Benedict XVI: Keys to Interpreting the Second Vatican Council.”

ARCHBISHOP AGOSTINO MARCHETTO
Author, "Benedict XVI: Keys to interpreting Vatican II"
“The keys are important to fully understand the Council's line of interpretation. It's about reform and continuity not about discontinuity or rupture.”

At this point, the book is only in Italian, its three authors include Cardinal Walter Brandmüller,  Agostino Marchetto and Nicola Bux, who together gathered key points, as explained by Benedict XVI. 

They say it's key to understand that in this case, renovation and tradition can go hand in hand, under the so called hermeneutic of continuity. In fact during his pontificate, the Pope has highlighted the importance of this Council and its role within the Catholic Church. 
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Comments

  1. JAFHR5/21/12, 1:57 PM

    Certainly, Renovation and tradition can 'go hand in hand'- one recalls Augustus Caesar's words 'I have renewed many customs of our ancestors fallen into disrepair, and created many customs great enough to be passed down (n.b. passed down is the verb 'tradere') but the Council got rid of a whole bunch of traditions. That's not the Catholic way- our way is to add to our store of admirable traditions, and to continue them all. That's what separates us from Protestants, who prefer to get rid of the old. The council was all for getting rid of our fine Latin tradition and the time of prayer spent in Sunday Mass; it got rid of the 40 days of Lent, and replaced them with one Friday of Lenten fasting every Lenten week. What is that but Laxism and neo-Protestantism?
    At least, that's the way I understand it. No doubt this new book will shed some Lumen ad revelationem gentium on the matter, making everything crystal clear. I certainly trust Benedict to calm my thirst for tradition, he always has.
    On a rather different note, have you considered Favicons? a cross would do the trick, don't you think?
    The aforementioned Lumen be with you all.

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