Santiago / Religion – Fifty years ago John XXIII summoned the Second Vatican Council. In 1959, the "Good Pope" light up a fire comparable only to the Councils of Jerusalem (1st century), Nicaea (4th century), Chalcedon (5thcentury) and Trent (16th century).

It wasn’t easy to carry it out. One after the other, the documents prepared by the Roman Curia were ruled out. The theology they depended on was no longer useful in order to understand the times. The Pope opened the window to the thought of a generation of theologians who were beginning to stand out at the time. The new experts went deep into the universal dogma of salvation in Christ and in the historical role of the Holy Spirit. Human history was given a positive status. The world, which in principle had been saved, had to be considered the actual place of God’s redemption. Under this light, the fundamental issue for salvation became love.

The Church of the Second Vatican Council looked at the world with new eyes. Using the path drawn by the First Vatican Council (19th century), which had declared the compatibility between faith and reason, this second Council, instead of condemning cultural changes and the results of modern sciences, it sought to understand them. And going even further, instead of looking at the mistakes of non-Christians, it looked at them with sympathy and aimed at establishing a dialogue with them.

It was a theological revolution that implied a recomprehension of the Church. It became more aware of being "sacrament" and "people of God". The former indicated that the Church should be a sign and instrument of the unity of men with God and of men among themselves. With the latter, the Church assumed humbleness, walking alongside humanity to the end of history.

Since then, the Second Vatican Council has drawn a line between those who want changes in the Church and those who don’t. But it is difficult to place some here or there. The documents of the Council were approved by an overwhelming majority. It was also very well received by the majority of the faithful. However, pre-Council attitudes can be found in Catholics, depending on the issue at stake. But when they regret the world without further analysis, the reject what is basic in the Council.

This position can be seen clearly in intolerant or sectarian ideas. Thus, some believe that if true salvation is to be found in the Church, the others –members of other religions or ethnic groups, Gnostics or atheists, moderns or postmoderns– must by force convert to Christianism. There are probably very few people who identify themselves with this point of view. But alongside this position, there is the idea of a one-way teaching relationship between the Church and the world, which Catholics –in all good faith– interpret as rules or actions that non-Catholics look upon as impositions. And when it is not about imposition but defense, the same Catholics confront the Church with the times, as if the Church had the times in front of it and not within it. Those who adopt this position do not realize the high cost that the repudiation of humanity itself entails.

A NON-CONDEMNING OUTLOOK

The position of the Council, instead, understands that the Church has participated in the salvation of the world. Therefore, it must discern the signs of the times inspired by God or by Evil in the ambiguity of human actions. This, in the supposition that Catholics do not posses "the truth". They have Christ, but as a Gospel, which invigorates all of humanity without exceptions, and requires that the paths of universal dialogue and communion be explored with everyone.

Today, fifty years after the announcement of the Second Vatican Council, we must discern the new signs of the times: freedom and pluralism, the operation of the media, the computerization of knowledge, the deployments of techno-science, the economy of growth, the change of paradigm in sexual morale, the metamorphosis of religiosity and the ecologic sustainability of the Earth.

Accepting the Council demands –in opposition to a condemning outlook– discovering the will of the Creator of one and all in these events.
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Jorge Costadoat, S.J. Theologian. Article published in Mensaje magazine, www.mensaje.cl