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How St. John Paul II evaluated the implementation of Vatican II

JOHN PAUL II
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Philip Kosloski - published on 10/10/22
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St. John Paul II laid out his criteria to discern how well Vatican II has been authentically implemented in the Church.

Ever since the opening of the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962, the Church has been in a constant state of discernment, considering how the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church in the modern world.

St. John Paul II was a strong promoter of Vatican II, but he did recognize how the Church has struggled in its authentic implementation of it.

In his apostolic letter, Tertio Milennio Adveniente, St. John Paul II listed several questions the Church needs to ask herself when considering how well Vatican II has been implemented.

St. John Paul II explained in a speech given in 2000 how he "convoked an Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in 1985. Its goal was to celebrate, examine and further the Council's teaching. In their analysis the Bishops spoke of the 'lights and shadows' that had marked the post-conciliar period."

Sixty years later, the Church continues to have "light and shadows" around the implementation of Vatican II, but St. John Paul II's list of questions can be helpful to evaluation how well the authentic spirit of the Second Vatican Council has been received by the wider Church.

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