Vatican II was the latest council held by the Catholic Church, which broadened horizons in ecclesial life.
A new appreciation for the role of the laity was central to this — specifically, the relationship between the common and ministerial priesthood.
JUAN CARLOS GARCÍA
The common priesthood is inscribed with a sacramental character in the celebration of Baptism. That is its origin. And that is, so to speak, the common identity of all Christians.
The Church has always taught the common priesthood of the faithful, but it was not until the Second Vatican Council that it reached a stronger emphasis.
At the Council of Trent, special attention had been given to the role of the clergy, but there had been a concrete reason why: to respond to the rise of Protestant beliefs, which disparaged the ministerial priesthood.
During Vatican I, the office of the Pope had been developed — it is where the Church first declared papal infallibility. But at Vatican II, the attention shifted to the laity. There, the Church explained the dynamic between the common priesthood and the ministerial priesthood
JUAN CARLOS GARCÍA
Vatican II highlighted the fullness of the sacrament of the ordained minister, which is the bishop, and in contrast to clericalism—which had seen exaggerations at certain moments in the Church’s tradition—it brought the laity to the forefront.
It was a paradigm shift that challenged pre-conciliar assumptions and attitudes, bringing about much change within the heart of Catholicism. But fundamentally, Vatican II was never a discontinuation of the Church’s tradition.
JUAN CARLOS GARCÍA
I do not like to think that there is a Church before the council and another after the council. There is the Church of Jesus Christ.
The changes of Vatican II were first visible in the liturgical sphere, where the Church wanted to promote active participation of the faithful. Most notable was the shift from Latin to vernacular languages. Meanwhile, some shifts, such as the priest's orientation during Mass, were never directly promulgated by Vatican II.
RAMÓN NAVARRO
That does not mean that the priest is the only important person in the assembly or the only one who celebrates. The priest celebrates and presides; the rest of the assembly celebrates. By “celebrate” we mean that encounter with Christ through signs, gestures, and words in which everyone must participate. The people should not remain silent when they are meant to speak, for example.
The desire for deeper participation from the faithful also affected the musical aspects of the liturgy. Composers had to conceive of hymns and songs that included the participation of all those present for the Eucharistic celebration.
MARCO FRISINA
Well, the greatest novelty of the Second Vatican Council was the idea of active participation—that the people of God are a living subject of the liturgy, not only passive, but active. And this changed the perspective greatly. That is why I always write with the people of God in mind. Therefore, this is a great novelty, also an inspiring one, because for a composer it means discovering new ways of expressing the same eternal realities. The liturgy is something eternal, but each time we can make it contemporary, and this is one way of doing so.
In the end, the ministerial priesthood would have no value if it were not a gift for the faithful. The sacrament of Holy Orders is a calling and office to be exercised by the priest in service to the laity and the Church — two forms of priesthood that, far from being in opposition, complement each other.
AM/CA/JRB
