Historical note

The Second Vatican Council (also called Vatican II) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, announced by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959. Following the announcement of the council, the Pope appointed preparatory commissions to prepare an agenda and compose drafts of decrees on various topics, called schemata (singular: schema). The first session of the council opened on October 11, 1962. All bishops and certain other members of the Church hierarchy were summoned and had voting power; a number of non-voting theological advisors, women religious, laypeople, and observers from other Christian communities attended as auditors. The council met each Fall from 1962 to 1965, continuing under Pope John XXIII's successor, Pope Paul VI. The major themes of the council were: the ongoing renewal of the Church, missionary activity, sources of revelation, liturgy, the role of the laity, pastoral responsibilities bishops, formation of priests and of religious sisters and brothers, the Eastern-rite Catholic churches, the relationship between the Catholic Church and other religions (especially Judaism and Islam), religious freedom, modern media for communication, Catholic education, and moral theology. The council published sixteen official documents: four Constitutions, three Declarations, and nine Decrees.

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