In another one of the forums someone ranted about the evils of Vatican II. Please, I’m not trying to start that. I asked about references for the rant but it appears that a moderator deleted both his post and my question.
So, my question. If I remember corrected the Council of Trent would be like Vatican 0, where everything was laid out?
Vatican I had something to do with the Tridentine Mass?
Vatican II had to do with Ecumenicalism?
Can someone either explain some of this or point me in the right direction for answers?
The only thing I even think I know for sure is that the Pope (when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger) said that you cannot be pro-VII and anti-VI or vice versa. It gets so confusing.
Many thanks,
Bryan
Bryan,
Maybe some background information on Church Councils might be helpful for you.
First of all, there have been twenty-one Ecumenical Councils. The first being the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. and the last being the Second Vatican Council.
A General or Ecumenical (from the Greek meaning “the inhabited world”) council takes place when the Bishops of the Universal Church gather with the Roman Pontiff presiding either personally or through his representative.
The decrees of a General or Ecumenical Council are an infallible witness to the Catholic rule of faith. For a council to rank as ecumenical a number of conditions must be fulfilled, of which the most important is its confirmation by the Roman Pontiff.
Such assemblies are not absolutely necessary for the government of the Church, but there are occasions when it may be both advisable and highly beneficial.
The Church’s infallible teaching authority is vested in the body Bishops joined with the Pope, and in the Pope himself.
As for your quote, the then Cardinal Ratzinger was correct. Understanding your need for some explanation, there are those who claim to be Catholic and reject Vatican II for various reasons. Most of these people, and I am speaking very generally here, come from a conservative, traditionalist point of view. There are others who, while claiming to be Catholic, take a very liberal stance and reject some or all of the previous Councils. One priest I know refers to the historical period before Vatican II as the “bad old days.”
As for the reasons why each Council was called you would have to do some research which is easy enough to do here at Catholic Answers.
If you look at my bio you will see that I regard myself as a Traditional Roman Catholic. By that I mean I accept all of the twenty-one Councils of the Catholic Church and all that the Church teaches.
The Church has a fascinating history throughout the last two thousand years. I encourage you to take the time and make it a personal study for yourself. It would be well worth your effort.
