Vatican Council II – 60 years ago

Vatican Council II in session in St. Peter's Basilica

Being elected Pope on October 28, 1958, Pope St. John XXIII waited only three months to shock the Roman Curia when he announced that he will convene the 21^st Ecumenical Council in the history of the Church. It has been 92 years since the last one was held in 1870, and preparations started immediately for the Vatican to be transformed into a huge meeting hall for the arrival of all the Bishops and Cardinals. Cardinal Montini remarked to a friend that "this holy old boy doesn't realize what a hornet's nest he's stirring up". From the Second Vatican Council came changes that reshaped the face of Catholicism: a comprehensively revised liturgy, a stronger emphasis on ecumenism, and a new approach to the world. Probably the most visible and tangible change was the way we celebrate Mass nowadays, from the former Latin to the vernacular. 

Pope St. John XXIII, and Bishops in procession.

Succeeding St. John XXIII, St. Paul VI fostered improved ecumenical relations with Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants, which resulted in a number of historic meetings and agreements. Paul VI was the Pope of Vatican II and the reforms emanating from it.  Four future Popes would also be present at the Council, St. Paul VI, Blessed John Paul I, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, who were either Cardinals, Bishops or special invitees to the Council. 16 Documents were promulgated during the Council, between Constitutions, Decrees, or Declarations, all of which are today considered important Documents. Four major sessions were held, usually between October and December of 4 successive years, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965, when the Council ended in December. As many as 2,200 bishops attended, seated inside the Basilica in specially arranged platforms on each side, with a main aisle in the center.