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Modernism in Vatican II: Pastoral Constitution On the Church In the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes

The Church is in a critical period, on the brink of a schism over the liturgy, morals, the way the Church relates to the secular world and other religions. Some Catholics blame Vatican II with sincerity. Below are two tables, the first table has a few general criticisms (on the left) with our responses (on the right). The second table provides a detailed critique of the council with our responses, point by point.

Specific Vatican II criticisms (left column) with responses (right).

Specific charge against Gaudium et Spes Hermeneutic of continuity with tradition
Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes On the Church In the Modern World (GS): permeated with spirit of the “new Enlightenment.” That term doesn't appear in the document. Pope Benedict issued a clear refutation of the New Age and relativism.
Gaudium et Spes 22.2: affirms that by His Incarnation the Son of God “has united Himself in some fashion with every man,” extends the Incarnation to each one of us, thereby divinizing man. The next sentence explains. "He [Jesus] worked with human hands, He thought with a human mind, acted by human choice and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin." The statement to the left is pulling sentences out the context much like some Protestants use Bible quotes to deny Catholic dogmas.

Gaudium et Spes 24.3: affirms that “man is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself,” as if the purpose that guided the creation of man could have been something other than the celebration of the Glory of God and of God as the ultimate end of all things.

 The passage is footnoted with a reference to 2 Cor 15 "And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them."

Gaudium et Spes 24.3: affirms that “man is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself,” as if the purpose that guided the creation of man could have been something other than the celebration of the Glory of God and of God as the ultimate end of all things.

 The passage is footnoted with a reference to 2 Cor 15 "And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them."

Gaudium et Spes: Marriage: Elevation of the “communion of life and love” where procreation and education of children appears as “the ultimate crown” [fastigium] of this “communion” and not the exclusive end for which it exists (GS 48).

Why propose that procreation is the "exclusive end" of marriage? That would be like saying, in the marriage of Christ to his Church, the "exclusive" end would be to evangelize others, not to experience the joy of communion. Vatican II rightly places procreation where it belongs as the most important thing, not the "exclusive thing".

Gaudium et Spes: The introduction of Feminism (Gaudium et Spes 29, 52, 60)

It would be disingenuous to assert that the dignity of the personhood of women was fully recognized prior to Vatican II. We encourage reading of those passages, in light of Pope Benedict's amazing letter to the Bishops of the world on authentic feminism and Paul VI's Humanae Vitae. They clarify any misreading of the passages that attempt to associate Vatican II with women's ordination, abortion or contraception, etc.

Gaudium et Spes: Marriage: Elevation of the “communion of life and love” where procreation and education of children appears as “the ultimate crown” [fastigium] of this “communion” and not the exclusive end for which it exists (GS 48).

Why propose that procreation is the "exclusive end" of marriage? That would be like saying, in the marriage of Christ to his Church, the "exclusive" end would be to evangelize others, not to experience the joy of communion. Vatican II rightly places procreation where it belongs as the most important thing, not the "exclusive thing".

Gaudium et Spes: Marriage: Elevation of the “communion of life and love” where procreation and education of children appears as “the ultimate crown” [fastigium] of this “communion” and not the exclusive end for which it exists (GS 48).

Why propose that procreation is the "exclusive end" of marriage? That would be like saying, in the marriage of Christ to his Church, the "exclusive" end would be to evangelize others, not to experience the joy of communion. Vatican II rightly places procreation where it belongs as the most important thing, not the "exclusive thing".

The Inaugural Allocution of John XXIII on October 11, 1962, which surely contributed to directing the Council in the anomalous direction which it then took. And these are:

“Now however, the Spouse of Christ prefers to use the medicine of mercy more than that of severity. This demands that she comes to encounter the needs of today showing the validity of her teaching rather than renewing condemnations.”

“studied and espoused through the forms of investigation and the literary formulation of modern thought,” since “on the one hand there is the substance of the ancient doctrine of the depositum fidei, and on the other hand there is the formulation of its outer layer [rivestimento or coating]: and it is of this outer layer that one must – with patience if necessary – take great note, measuring everything in the forms and proportions of a magisterium with a prevailing pastoral character” (a concept re-proposed in GS 62 and in UR 6).

The enunciation of the unity of the human race as the true goal of the Church, with such unity even considered as a “necessary foundation” so that the “earthly city” may become ever more like the “celestial city” attribution of this improper purpose to the Church in LG 1 (see above, n. 5).

There is the type of tradition that contributes to the doctrine of the Church, and the type of tradition regarding how the faith is presented to the world. The first is unchangeable. The latter needs to adapt with the realities of the world.

The walls to protect the Church before Vatican II were like a fortress city which could defend against foot soldiers of the middle ages, but could not defend against attacking planes that fly over walls in the new millennium. The Church Militant needs new strategies when enemies of the Church (inside and out) have mass communication networks at their disposal. Yes its dangerous and scary to take a new strategy, without changing the truth of the Gospel.

St. Faustina was shown hell, but she was also shown God's mercy. There will be constant balance and tension between the two. Obviously, Pope Francis has gone too far on the "pastoral side". But the Church pre Vatican II was not prepared for the challenges of the 21st century, it was way too fundamentalist and incapable of credible dialogue with the outside world. Circling the wagons is not the approach.

Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI said the council must be read is in the light of tradition, interpreted with a "hermeneutics of continuity". They also issued many documents which clarified misreadings and abuses of Vatican II. We understand that Liberal theologians sometimes cite Vatican II and have had discussions with them on the Unam Sactum, Liberation Theology, Lumen Gentium, and relativism.

Charges of Modernism in specific Vatican II documents:

Critics of the council have tried to map individual sentences or parts of the documents to this heresy but in context the documents do not represent, or yield, to the heresy. These are detailed in the articles below.

Partial list of Vatican documents clarifying misunderstandings and abuses of Vatican II

Growing up in Canada, we learned the Imperial system of measurement (pounds, inches, feet). In our late teens Canada turned metric. It was disorienting and even though we learned the metric system, it still feels foreign to us. Vatican II is like that for many.

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