Vatican II: Cardinal Zen Believes in Inexistent "Continuity"
Zen wrote his doctorate in philosophy from 1961 to 1964 in Rome. This were years which party coincided with Vatican II. For him, before Vatican II, the Church cultivated "a fascist style” with “pressure” and a speech control although "Mussolini's reign" was over for twenty years.
He recalls everybody being "excited" because John XXIII wanted an “aggiornamento” and desired to “evangelise today’s mankind” - a wish that never materialised. According to Zen, the Vatican II bishops discussed everything carefully while the Holy Spirit was the Council's “protagonist.”
Now, Zen wants to go back to the “documents” in order to distinguish the much invoked “spirit of the council” from its true content.
He insists that Vatican II didn't establish a new Church nor overturned the Council of Trent (1545-1562), although it is evident that it did.
For Zen, all ecumenical councils are “enriching.” He likes the "optimistic" Vatican II emphasis on God's desire to save everyone. However, this optimism which isn't supported by the Gospel, was the main reason why after the Council the godliness of the people and the mission of the Church collapsed.
Picture: Joseph Zen, © Mazur, CC BY-NC-SA, #newsCqlhyuyrpu
