The Need for Aggiornamento - Essay Sample

Introduction

The aggiornamento, which is an Italian word for "a bringing up to date" was largely used in the Second Vatican Council which took place between the year 1962 and 1965 chaired by the then chosen Pope John XXIII. The aggiornamento during these proceedings has been lauded as one of the most significant events in theology as well as in modern religion. For the Catholic Church, this specific Vatican Council was considered as a moment of reforms and renewal, and most of the church energies moved from the old norms of the preceding fifty years, to a new era under the leadership of the Pope John XXIII and the council members. The Pope appointed a preparatory commissions to prepare an agenda as well as to draft decrees on various topics concerning the church. The main advice of the Pope to the council fathers in the opening of the council was meeting the pastoral needs of the church. The council summoned the Catholic bishops as well as other dignitaries within the church. Other individuals, observers, and auditors, from the major Christian churches as well as communities which were not under the Roman Empire individuals were also invited to the council proceedings, however, without a right to vote, making the proceedings more open to the public and bringing in the aspect of aggiornamento.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The formation of the council was necessary to address the existing relations between the Catholic Church and the ever-changing modern world. The council represented the twenty-first meeting of the council and the second of to be held at Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica. The meeting which was largely open to the public under the councils started under the Pope John XXIII and went through to end on the twelfth month of 1965 (Grace 25). The council discussed a range of issues that included the universal call to holiness, the renewal of the consecrated life, and accommodation of other religions through a dialogue. Since then, the Paschal Mystery which defines what it is to be a Christian taking into account the Christian life, year, and season has been redefined. Various changes have been witnessed within the Catholic Church including the use of vernacular languages in carrying out masses instead of the then Latin, which was the only language used in the Mass before the Second Vatican Council. The Second Vatican Council also brought about changes in the used of the ornate clerical regalia as well as a revision of the Eucharistic prayers. The aggiornamento was also vital as it enabled the Catholic Church to embrace their ability to celebrate the Mass, the redefinition of the liturgical calendar, and the ad orientem which entails undertaking the prayers using the Crucifix while facing the "East" direction. However, most of this changes have been seen as divisive by some of the Catholic faithful.

Nonetheless, this second Vatican Council was not just essential to the congregation but the members of the council at large. Until this day, four of those who sat in the council managed to ascend to papacy, the Cardinal Giovanni Battista, Pope Paul VI, who succeeded the then Pope John XXIII, Bishop Luciani who took the name Pope John Paul I, Bishop Karol who took the name Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, who was a father Joseph by then (Bruno-Jofre et al. 78). Before the Second Vatican Council, the theological, as well as biblical studies in the Catholic Church, were centered on biblical literalism and Neo-Scholasticism which the modern world was experiencing a radical shift from. Thus, Catholic modernism, which was being enforced by the first Vatican Council was widely supported (Grace 25). This shift from the biblical literalism and Neo-Scholasticism to Catholic modernism was encouraged by various theologians who focused on integrating the modern human experience and the principles of the church based on the biblical teachings. These theologians believed in the integration between the church practices and an accurate understanding of the scriptures with the modern world.

The aggiornamento also came at a time when the bishops across the world were facing several challenges in preaching the gospel. The bishops faced challenges fuelled by economic, social, political, as well as technological changes. A way forward had to be drafted to help these bishops address and sought these challenges. The changes in the systems to help these bishops were first discussed in the First Vatican Council which was cut short by the entry of the Italian Army into Rome before a substantive agreement could be reached. As a result of this inversion, not all the outlined agendas of the council were complete. Thus, deliberations were only made on the pope's role, and the relationships are pertaining faith and reason. With only these deliberations, the direction of the church was left deliberated. For this reason, Pope John XXIII deemed it fit to convene a council meeting to draft a way forward, only three months after his election. His approach to issues and the idea of aggiornamento caught the church by surprise. The Church insiders had their opinions on the issue raising varied reactions. The idea also caught the attention of other religious leaders as well as the secular leaders who were not members of the Catholic Church.

The central aim of the Second Vatican Council which was centered on the aggiornamento and "ressourcement" was the renewal of the Church in the modern times. The then Pope John XXIII was keen on ensuring an open system of operations in the church. He worked on the ideas on which would bring in a balance between the Church and the modern society regarding practices and the beliefs. He then expressed his ideas through aggiornamento through which the public was updated, renewed, and refreshed on the council proceedings and agreements. The aggiornamento brought in the aspect through which the church would confront the world by affirmation or condemnation. Aggiornamento also exposed the existing weaknesses within the Catholic Church which called for the Church leaders and the Church as a whole to work in finding its true self which would be essential in helping the church in adapting to the new challenges presented by the modern dynamic world (Grace 29).

The world around the Church was moving so fast, with modernization taking every aspect of the society. Thus, the church had to adapt itself to the world rather than presenting a conviction or rejecting these changes bluntly. The aggiornamento during the Second Vatican Council was by then a major necessity as it redefined the history, bringing in a whole new view of the world and Christianity. The Catholic teachings majorly sensitized on its establishment in Christ which they referred to as 'in saecula saeculorum.' From their beliefs, the failure of their members never affected the church as Christ established it as a sole "divine institution." However, there were improvements from the believers, they seemed to be stagnant in their actions and repeatedly got involved in the sinful practices. It reached a time when the Catholic beliefs needed to be revised as the members of the church were getting too much involved in immorality and sinful practiced that were not in line with the biblical practices and teachings.

The traditional beliefs of the Catholic Church brought about the aspect of being "tied to history." The stagnation increased the urge to create a Church that would be embraced by all with the focus on the history. The Second Vatican Council was key to placing foundations to a substantial new relation that have seen the modern Churches grow to embrace diversity as well as the recognition of the Protestant churches. The effects of aggiornamento to the modern Christianity has since then been expressed in every aspect of the modern church through its progress, evolution, and adaptation. The aggiornamento of the Second Vatican Council brought about various interpretations of the evolution of the church (Faggioli 145). On the other hand, aggiornamento can also be seen as a negative influence on the church. The process allowed the norms and traditions of the Church believers to be swayed by the current storm. It showed that the church was not able to stand by their predefined rules and had to change with the changing world. The process showed a weakness of the Catholic Church.

Historical as well as institutional realities like Churches ought to stick to their traditions. In such institutions, tradition often plays major decisive roles. However, with the changing world, the Pope could not undermine the need for updates and renewal of the current society. The traditions which have been largely preached by the church as the life-giving sources turned out to be life blocking (Bruno-Jofre et al. 28). With the rapid changes which the world was experiencing, there was a greater need for renewing and integrating the traditional heritage with the new approach. The traditions at the time when the Second Vatican Council was held turned out as dead skeletons which could not pass flames to the next generation. The Pope John XXIII perceived the need for this integration and advocated for its consideration in his open speech to the council.

Various historians have tried to explain the significance of aggiornamento to the modern day Catholic Church. Historian such as John W. O'Malley through his work gave explanations in several significant aspects of his works on the importance of aggiornamento. John W. O'Malley argued that aggiornamento offered a new style to the approach of religion which has been largely reflected in the modern Christianity (O'Malley 126). The historian saw aggiornamento as a break away from the then legal language used in the carrying out Masses in the Roman Catholic and the Roman documents. These words were prone to intimidation and threats which were studded in them. Traditionally these words were associated surveillance and punishment. He argues that aggiornamento brought in a key aspect of persuasion into the Catholic Church which was characterized by changes in tone and recommitment of the missionaries. The missionary that existed before was the church (O'Malley 133). However, the Church as a missionary was very nature as it was a command from Christ. The mission of the church was derived from the book of Mathews where Christ commanded it to make disciples of the nations (Mat 28:19). This command made the Christian churches across the world to remain rooted in the missionary life. The mission aspect, however, was not eroded by aggiornamento as it continued to be carried out with respect. The existing missions in the Catholic Church continued to respect the people's cultures in their evangelism.

Conclusion

Today, the aggiornamento which was packed with the idea of a renewal of the Church from her roots to blend it with the modern world has been highly lauded. The idea of aggiornamento also entailed returning to early sources which included the traditions and symbols. The ressourcement was not widely embraced by the Catholic Church. The two agendas of the Second Vatican Council brought divisions among the council members as some were pro modernity while others were pro- ressourcement largely looking back at the pre- Trent church. Nonetheless, the Pope John XXIII's aggiornamento came out to be supreme and has since then been embraced widely in the modern Christianity. It has also proved to be a great stimulus to the modern church in improving its ever-growing ability to take the stock as well as its vitality to the ever growing population of their congregation. The Council meeting redefined every aspect of the operations of the church. Aggiornamento has since then been adopted in the expression of the aims as well as missions of the Catholic Church. The members of the council ratified aggiornamento and confirmed it as their guiding principle.

Works Cited

Bruno-Jofre, Rosa, Heidi MacDona...