The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2623 page)

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TENKA
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Vatican
.

A city-state of some 109 acres, occupying the Vatican hill on the west bank of the Tiber in
Rome
. Created by the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the kingdom of Italy and the
Holy See
, it now provides a base for the
pope
and the
curia
. ‘The Vatican’ may also refer to the central, hierarchical organization of
Roman Catholicism
, hence Vatican Catholicism.

 
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Vatican Council, First
,
or Vatican I

(1869–70). A
Roman Catholic
council
. Called by Pope Pius IX. This council adopted only two constitutions, despite the advance preparation of fifty-one
schemata
. The constitution on
faith
,
Dei Filius
, dealt with God as creator,
revelation
, faith, and faith's relationship to reason, adopting positions similar to those of St Thomas
Aquinas
. The
schema
on the
Church
was not voted on; instead, the question of the
papacy
was brought forward, although many (e.g. J. H.
Newman
) regarded this as inopportune. The constitution
Pastor Aeternus
defined the primacy of the pope and also his
infallibility
when he speaks
ex cathedra
, i.e. when as chief pastor of the Church he defines a doctrine on faith or morals to be held by the whole Church.
After Italian troops occupied Rome, the Council was suspended in Oct. 1870. It never reconvened, and the incompleteness of its work led to a serious imbalance in RC Church teaching.

 
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Vatican Council, Second
,
or Vatican II

(1962–5). A
Roman Catholic
council
. In calling for an
ecumenical council
,
Pope
John XXIII
spoke of his desire for
aggiornamento
in the RC Church, for ‘a new
Pentecost
’. He lived to see only the first session: the Council's work was concluded under his successor,
Paul VI
(pope 1963–78). The debates showed deep disagreements on many issues, sometimes leading to the rejection of draft
schemata
prepared before the Council. Sixteen documents were eventually produced, five of which are particularly important. The Constitution on the Church (
Lumen Gentium
) gave a deep theological analysis of the nature of the Church, and defined the authority of
bishops
and the position of the laity. The Constitution on Revelation (
Dei Verbum
) outlined the nature of
revelation
,
scripture
, and
tradition
; it laid down canons for biblical interpretation and encouraged greater use of the Bible in
theology
,
liturgy
, and private devotion. The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (
Gaudium et Spes
) dealt with the Church's attitude to human life and culture, and to marriage, economic development, war, and other contemporary issues. The Constitution on the Liturgy set out a theology of the liturgy and principles for reform (e.g. through wider use of the vernacular; see
LITURGICAL MOVEMENT
). The Decree on Ecumenism explained the RC Church's attitude to other Christians, and outlined a programme for reunion.
Despite the ensuing period of great turbulence, the Council succeeded in producing the greatest changes in the RC Church since the Council of
Trent
in the 16th cent.

 
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