Is Anything from Vatican II Binding?

[Neil_Anthony]

Vatican II in Lumen Gentium said:

Taking conciliar custom into consideration and also the pastoral purpose of the present Council, the sacred Council defines as binding on the Church only those things in matters of faith and morals which it shall openly declare to be binding.

Did Vatican II “openly declare” anything at all “to be binding”?

 

[Dauphin]

I’m not sure that the council formally declared any teaching to be binding. On issues like religious liberty, for example, Catholics are free to hold to the traditional teaching outlined in Pope Pius IX’s Quanta Cura.

 

[3Sanctus]

Considering both Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI considered it to be a “pastoral” council, I don’t see how anything from it could be binding. The only way a council can declare something to be binding is with infallibility, which requires the declaration to be on morality of doctrine and declared excathedra. since the two popes who reigned during the council explicitly referred to it as a pastoral council I don’t see any possibly argument for anything in it being binding.

In other words, Vatican II is essentially a bunch of suggestions and ideas. Any pope - correct me if I’m wrong - could simply say “we’re not using that anymore.” Any pope could basically take us back to 1962 - because nothing from that council is binding on the faithful.

 

[buffalo]

I know of know dogmatic or doctrinal changes.