Gaudet Mater Ecclesia
After the opening words Gaudet mater ecclesia (“The Mother Church rejoices ”), the historical opening address of the Second Vatican Council is quoted, which Pope John XXIII. held on October 11, 1962. (October 11th has been the liturgical feast day of the Blessed since 2000. ) The guidelines for Vatican II were set out in the address. John XXIII gave the address, as was customary at the time, in Latin.
Table of contents
After the opening words:
Gaudet Mater Ecclesia quod, singulari Divinae Providentiae munere, optatissimus iam dies illuxit, quo, auspice Deipara Virgine, cuius materna dignitas hodie festo ritu recolitur, hic ad Beati Petri sepulcrum Concilium Oecumenicum Vatundum capitniter Vaticanum Secundum capitniter.
follows a section about
Concilia Oecumenica in Ecclesia , the general councils of the Church, followed by considerations on the origin and occasion of the present council, Origo et causa Concilii Oecumenici Vaticani II , and the opportunity to celebrate a council today (opportunitas celebrandi Concilii).
The task is to protect and promote the teaching of the Church ( praecipuum Concilii munus: doctrina tuenda ac promovenda ): Quod Concilii Oecumenici maxime interest, hoc est, ut sacrum christianae doctrinae depositum efficaciore ratione custodiatur atque proponatur. Haec doctrina integrum complectitur hominem, corpore et animo compositum, eademque iubet nos, qui huius terrae incolae sumus, ad caelestem patriam peregrinos contendere. (Translation: The main task of the council is to preserve and explain the sacred tradition of Christian doctrine with more effective methods. This doctrine includes the whole human being, who consists of body and spirit, and it tells us who inhabit this earth, to meet our Heavenly Father as a pilgrim.)
But qua ratione hodie doctrina promovenda sit ; the way of promoting it needs to be renewed today. From the German translation: "Yes, this secure and constant teaching, which is to be obeyed in faith, must be researched and interpreted as our time demands. For something else is the deposit of Fidei or the truths contained in the teaching to be venerated and the way in which they are proclaimed, of course, in the same sense and meaning, is another matter, and much attention must be paid to this, and if need be patiently worked on, that is, all reasons must be considered to clarify how it corresponds to a magisterium whose nature is predominantly pastoral. At the beginning of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council it is as clear as ever that the truth of the Lord is eternal. We are observing how In the course of time the uncertain opinions of the people separate from one another, and the errors often rise like a morning mist which the sun soon drives away. The Church has these errors n resisted at all times, and often condemned them, sometimes with great severity. Today, on the other hand, the bride of Christ would rather use the remedy of mercy than use the weapon of severity. She believes it is more appropriate to present day necessities to fully explain the power of her teaching than to condemn it. This does not mean that there are no false teachings or dangerous opinions to avoid and disperse. But these so obviously contradict the right principles of honesty, and they have produced such devastating fruits that people today are already condemning such teachings on their own initiative. This is especially true of those customs that despise God and his commandments, of blind trust in technical progress and in a prosperity that is based exclusively on the comfort of life. They themselves recognize more and more that the dignity of the human person and the obligations resulting from it are very important. But what counts most: they have learned from experience that the use of external violence against others, the potential of armaments and political supremacy are not enough to happily solve the difficult problems facing them. "
In the original, some of these statements already belong to the famous section Qua ratione errores compescendi sint , in which the Pope " casts the nets anew", so to speak.
Quote: Hisce in rerum adiunctis, Catholica Ecclesia, dum per Oecumenicum hoc Concilium religiosae veritatis facem attollit, amantissimam omnium matrem se vult praebere, benignam, patientem, atque erga filios a se seiunctos generi, totamatano acibus bonitate, laboratories ut olim Petrus misero illi qui ab eo stipem rogaverat, dicit: "Argentum et aurum non est mihi: quod autem habeno hoc tibi do; in nomine Iesu Christi Nazareni surge et ambula" (Act 3,6). Scilicet nostrorum temporum hominibus Ecclesia non caducas porrigit divitias, neque beatitatem dumtaxat terrenam pollicetur; sed supernae gratiae bona impertit, quae cum homines ad filiorum Dei dignitatem erigant, tam valido praesidio et adiumento sunt ad humaniorem efficiendam eorum vitam; uberioris doctrinae suae fontes aperit, qua homines luce Christi collustrati penitus intelligere valent, quid ipsi revera sint, qua dignitate excellant, quem finem prosequi debeant; per filios denique suos ubique christianae caritatis spatia dilatat, qua ad dissensionum semina evellenda nihil est aptius, et ad provehendam concordiam, iustam pacem fraternamque omnium unitatem nihil est efficacius.
( German: In view of this situation, the Catholic Church is raising the lamp of the truth of faith through this Ecumenical Council. She wants to prove herself to be a very loving, kind and patient mother, full of compassion and benevolence for her children who have left her. Peter said once in the face of a humanity in great hardship, to a poor person who asked him for alms: “I do not have gold and silver, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk around ! ”(Acts 3, 6). Thus the Church offers modern people no perishable riches and no earthly happiness. Rather, she gives them the gifts of divine grace, which elevate people to the dignity of sonship with God and those for effective preservation Promoting human life, opening up the living sources of her teaching to enlighten people with the light of Christ so that they can see what they are in truth are what dignity they have and what goal they have to strive for. After all, through her sons, she spreads everywhere the abundance of Christian love, which best removes all quarrels and brings about unity, just peace and fraternal unity for all.)
Then the Pope turns to ecumenism , thinking primarily of Orthodoxy , which he knew well from many years in the diplomatic service: Unitas in christiana et humana familia fovenda.
It closes with an appeal to the Blessed Mother , whose motherhood was celebrated on October 11th (since Pius XI ) (today: January 1st),
O Maria, Auxilium Christianorum, Auxilium Episcoporum, cuius amorem nuper in Lauretano templo tuo, ubi Incarnationis mysterium venerari placuit, peculiari modo experti sumus, omnia ad laetum, faustum, prosperum exitum tua ope dispone; tuque una cum Sancto Ioseph Sponso tuo, cum Sanctis Petro et Paulo Apostolis, Sanctis Ioanne Baptista et Evangelista, apud Deum intercede pro nobis.
and of the divine Redeemer : Iesu Christo, Redemptori nostro amantissimo, Regi immortali populorum et temporum, amor, potestas et gloria in saecula saeculorum. Amen.