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PAGE 2 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1964
IN ST. PETER’S BASILICA
Pope Paul VTs Opening Address At Council’s Session
POPE f aul VI opens the third session of Vatican Council II. He gestoria. In the background, the Council Fathers, prelates
is shown being carried into St. Peter’s Basilica in the sede from all over the world, look on. Session began September 14.
Following is a N.C.W.C. News
Service translation of the Latin
address delivered by Pope Paul
VI to the opening meeting (Sept.
14) of the third session of the
ecumenical council.
Under the sign of the Holy
Cross, in whose honor we have
concelebrated holy Mass, we
open today the third session of
the Second Vatican Ecumenical
Council. The Church is present
here. We are the Church. We
are the Church as members of
the Mystical Body of Christ,
for God has granted us the ines
timable favor of being baptized,
of being believers united by
love and constituting the con
secrated and visible people of
God, We are the Church since
we are ministers of the Church
herself, priests invested with a
special character received at
our sacramental ordination.
On us are conferred marve
lous and tremendous powers,
making of us a hierarchy en
trusted with functions meant to
perpetuate in time and to ex
tend on earth the saving mis
sion of Christ. We are the
Church, finally, because as
teachers of the Faith, pastors
of souls, stewards of the mys
teries of God (1 Cor. 4, 1 ), we
represent here the entire
Church, not as delegates or
deputies of the faithful toward
whom our ministry is directed,
but as fathers and brothers
who personify the communities
entrusted to the care of each
one of us, and as a plenary as
sembly legitimately convoked
by the Holy Father.
THE POPE has called the
council into session in his capa
city, which links him with all of
you, as your brother, the bishop
of historic Rome, and as the
humble but authentic successor
of the Apostle Peter—before
whose tomb we are devoutly
gathered—and therefore as the
unworthy but true head of the
Catholic Church and Vicar of
Christ, servant of the servants
of God,
Recapitulating in our persons
and in our functions the univer
sal Church, we proclaim this
council ecumenical. Here is the
exercise of the unity, here the"
exercise of that universality by
which the Church gives evidence
of her prodigious vitality, her
marvelous capacity to make
men brothers and to welcome
within her embrace the most di
verse civilizations and langu
ages, the most individualized
liturgies and types of spiritual
ity, the most varied expres
sions of national, social and
cultural genius, harmonizing all
in felicitous union, yet always
respecting legitimate variety
and complexity.
HERE IS the exercise of the
holiness of the Church because
here she calls on the mercy of
God for the weaknesses and de
ficiencies of the sinners thatwe
a '-, and because here as no
where else do we become aware
of the power granted to our
ministry to draw from the "un
fathomable riches of Christ"
(Eph, 3, 8) the treasures of sal
vation and sanctification for all
men.
Here we realize that this min
istry of ours has no other pur
pose than to "prepare for the
Lord a perfect people" £Lk,
1, 17). Here, finally, is made
manifest the apostolicity of the
Church, a prerogative which is
a marvel even to us, to us who
have experienced our own weak
ness and who know how history
bears witness to the frailty of
even the most powerful of hu
man institutions,
AND AT the same time we
know with what continuity and fi
delity the mandate of Christ has
been transmitted from the
Apostles to our lowly and ever
astonished persons. We know
how inexplicably and how tri
umphantly the Church has en
dured throughout the ages, this
Church which is ever living and
always capable of finding in her
self the irrespressible spirit of
youth.
At this point we can repeat
with Tertullian: "It is the whole
Christian world which is here
represented and which we vene
rate. And see how good it is
that from all sides men are
gathered because of faith in
Christ! See how good and happy
it is for brothers to dwell to
gether! (De leunils, C. XIII;
P,L. 11, 1024).
NOW IF the Church is here,
here also is the Spirit, the Ad
vocate, whom Christ promised
to His apostles for the building
up of the Church: "I will ask
the Father and He will give you
another Advocate to dwell with
you forever, the Spirit of truth
whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees Him
nor knows Him. But you shall
know Him, because He will dwell
with you, and be in you" (Jn.
14, 16-17).
For there are, as we know,
two factors which Christ has
promised and arranged in dif
ferent ways to continue His
mission, to extend in time and
on earth the kingdom He found
ed and to make of redeemed
mankind His Church, His Mys
tical Body, His fulness, in ex
pectation of His definitive and
triumphant return at the end of
time.
THESE TWO factors are the
apostolate and the Spirit.
The apostolate is the external
and objective factor. It forms
the material body, so to speak,
of the Church and is the source
of her visible and social struc
tures.
The Holy Spirit is the internal
factor who acts within each per
son, as well as on the whole
community, animating, vivify
ing, sanctifying.
THESE TWO agents, the
apostolate which is entrusted
to the sacred hierarchy, and the
Spirit of Jesus, which uses the
hierarchy as its ordinary in
strument in the ministry of the
word and the sacraments, co
operate with one another. Pen
tecost shows them wonderful
ly linked at the beginning of the
great work of Jesus, who al
though invisible remains ever
present in His apostles and
their successors, "whom He set
over His Church as His shep
herds and vicars” (Preface,
Mass of apostles). These two
agents, differently yet harmon
iously, bear equal witness to
Christ the Lord in a combina
tion that confers on apostolic
activity its supernatural force
(Cf. 1 Pet. 1, 12).
May we believe that the salvi-
fic plan, by which the redemp
tion of Christ reaches and is
fulfilled in us, is even now in
action? Yes, my brethren, we
may believe, indeed, that this
plan is continued and actuated
by our means, in virtue of a pow
er and sufficiency that comes
from God, "who has made us
fit ministers of the new conve-
nant, not of the letter but of the
spirit. , .which gives life" (2
Cor, 3, 6). To doubt this would
be an insult to Christ’s faith
fulness to His promises, a be
trayal of our apostolic mandate,
depriving the Church of her cer
tainty, which the Divine Word
has guaranteed and history has
confirmed, and of her indefecti-
bility.
THE Spirit is here, not yet
to confirm with sacramental
grace the work which all of us,
united in the council, are bring
ing to completion, but rather to
illuminate and guide our labors
to the benefit of the Church and
all mankind. The Spirit is here.
We call upon Him, wait for Him,
follow Him. The Spirit is here.
Let us reflect on this doctrine
and this present reality so that,
above all, we may realize once
more and in the fullest and most
sublime degree possible our
communion with the living
Christ. It is the Spirit who Joins
us to Him, Let us reflect on
this truth also that we may put
ourselves before Him in trepi
dation, fully at His disposal;
that we may become aware of
the humiliating emptiness of our
misery and the crying need we
have of His help and mercy;
that we may hear as if spoken
in the secret recesses of our
soul the words of the Apostle:
"Discharging. . .this ministry
in accordance with the mercy
shown us, we do not lose heart"
(2 Cor. 4, 1).
THE council is forus a mom
ent of deep interior docility, a
moment of complete and filial
adherence to the word of the
Lord, a moment of fervent,
earnest invocation and of love,
a moment of spiritual exalta
tion, To this unique occasion
the poetic words of St, Ambrose
apply with a special aptness:
"Let us drink in joy the sober
inebriation of the Spirit” (Hymn
at Lauds). Such for us should
be this blessed time of council.
And finally we have this to
say; The hour has sounded in
history when the Church, which
expresses herself in us and
which from us receives struc
ture and life, must say of her
self what Christ intended and
willed her to be, and what the
age-long meditation of the fath
ers, pontiffs and doctors in their
wisdom has explored with piety
and fidelity. The Church must
give a definition of herself and
bring out from her true con
sciousness the doctrine which
the Holy Spirit teaches her, ac
cording to the Lord’s promise
"but the Advocate, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, He will teach
you all things and bring to your
mind whatever I have said to
you". (Jn, 14, 26). "The Spirit
Himself gives testimony to our
spirit that we are sons of God”
(Rom. 8, 16).
THUS must be completed the
doctrine that the First Vatican
Council was preparing to enun
ciate, but which external ob
stacles prevented it from de
fining, except in its first part
dealing with the head of the
Church, the Roman pontiff, and
his sovereign prerogatives re
garding primacy of jurisdic
tion and infallibility of teach
ing, which Christ was pleased
to bestow upon the Apostle
Peter, His visible vicar on
earth, and upon those who suc
ceed him in so sublime and
tremendous an office.
The discussion on this doc
trine remains to be completed,
so as to explain the mind of
Christ on the whole of His
Church and especially on the
nature and function of the suc
cessors of the apostles, that is
of the episcopate, with which
dignity and office the greater
part of you, venerable Fathers,
and we ourselves, most rever
end brothers, are of God’s good
pleasure invested,
THE council has many other
important subjects to deal with,
but this one seems to us to be
the weightiest and most deli
cate, The council’s delibera
tions on this subject will cer
tainly be what distinguishes this
solemn and historic synod in the
memory of future ages. It must
undertake a number of difficult
theological discussions. It must
determine the nature and mis
sion of the pastors of the
Church, It must discuss, and
with the favor of the Holy Spir
it, decide the constitutional pre-
orgatives of the episcopate. It
must delineate the relations be
tween the constitutional idea of
the Holy See, It must show how
homogeneous is the constitu
tional idea of the Church under
its differing Eastern and Wes
tern expressions. Itmustmake
clear for the faithful of the
Catholic Church and also for
the separated brethren the true
notion of the hierarchical or
gans in which "the Holy Spirit
has placed you as bishops to
rule the Church of God” (Acts
20, 28), with the bretheren,
as becomes pastors—minis
ters, that is—of faith and char
ity.
These thoughts are all the
more important for us, and
certainly for you, venerable
brothers, because of the fact
that this third session of the
ecumenical council has chosen
from among its many concerns
this central objective: to in
vestigate and clarify the doc
trine of the nature of the Church,
thus resuming and integrating
the work done in the first two
sessions, and making this
solemn synod the logical con
tinuation of the First Vatican
Council.
AT this point the Church
wants to study itself, or rather
probe into the mind of Christ,
its divine Founder: Just what
and how much to say in order
to honor His wisdom and char
ity and, by restoring to Him the
full practice of its faith and
fidelity, to render itself an even
more fit instrument in the work
of salvation for which it was
founded.
But in case anyone should
think that in doing this the
Church is closing it on itself in
an attitude of complacency, for
getting on the one hand Christ,
from whom it receives every
thing and to whom it owes every
thing, or on the other hand hu
manity, to whose service it is
committed, it places itself be
tween Him and the world, not
satisfied with itself, not as a
forbidding barrier, not as an
end in itself, but deeply con
cerned to be completely the
Church of Christ and for Christ,
as well as completely the
Church of men, among men and
for men, humble and yet glor
ious, the Church of the Saviour
and yet reaching out to all men,
preserving and yet diffusing the
truth and the grace of the su
pernatural life,
IN our time which seems to
be blessed in a special way,
this seems to be all the more
true and important, for today
the inquiry concerning the
Church will have a point of
great interest for us, and es
pecially for you, namely the
hierarchic structure of the
Church itself, and consequent
ly the origin, nature, function
and power of the episcopate,
which is a major part of the
hierarchy, in which with us
"the Holy Spirit has made you
bishops. . .to keep watch. . .
over God’s Church” (cf. Act
20, 28).
And so we have in mind to tune
in with a plan of Divine Provi
dence in celebrating this his
toric moment by giving to you,
our venerated and beloved
brothers in the episcopate, the
honor which Our Lord desired
to be shown to the apostles to
gether with Peter.
THE FATHERS of the First
Vatican Council defined and
proclaimed the truly unique and
supreme powers conferred by
Christ on Peter and handed on to
his successors. This recogni
tion has appeared to some as
having limited the authority of
bishops, the successors of the
Apostles, and as having rend
ered superfluous and prevented
the convocation of a subsequent
ecumenical council, which,
however, according to canon
law has supreme authority over
the entire Church.
The present ecumenical synod
is certainly going to confirm the
doctrine of the previous one re
garding the prerogatives of the
Roman pontiff. But it will also
have as its principal objective
the task of describing and hon
oring the prerogatives of the
episcopate.
LET every one understand
that the convocation of this
council has been a free and
spontaneous act on the part of
our venerated predecessor of
happy memory, John XXIII, an
act which we have readily con
firmed, knowing full well that
the theme of this sovereign
and sacred assembly would deal
with the episcopate. It could
not have been otherwise, taking
into consideration not only the
proper inter-connection of the
doctrines concerned but also
because of a sincere determi
nation to proclaim the glory,
the mission, the merits and the
friendship of our brothers en
trusted with the work of in
trusting, sanctifying and gov
erning the Church of God.
Let us repeat as our own those
well-known words which our
distant and saintly predecessor
of immortal memory, Gregory
the Great, wrote to Eulogius,
Bishop of Alexandria: "My hon
or is the honor of the universal
Church. My honor is the
strength of my brothers. I am
thus truly honored when the
honor due to each and everyone
of them is not denied to them”
(8, 30., P.L., 77,933).
THE integrity of catholic truth
now calls for clarification con
sonant with the doctrine of the
papacy which will place in its
splendid light the role and man
date of the episcopate. In its
work of tracing the outlines of
such a role and such a mandate,
the council will be anxious about
nothing except interpreting the
thought of Jesus Christ at its
true source and genuine origin.
We have already had the
pleasure of recognizing in the
bishops our true brothers, ad
dressing them, as the Apostle
Peter did, as "elders,” and
gladly claiming for ourselves
the equivalent title of "fellow
elder" (1 Pt. 5, 1). We have
had the pleasure of addressing
to them the words of the Apos
tle Paul: "My partners in tri
bulations and consolations" (Cf.
2 Cor, 1, 7). We have been
anxious to reassure them of
those religious convictions that
characterize our relations with
them: esteem, affection, soli
darity. We are bound by our duty
to recognize them as the teach
ers, rulers and sanctifiers of
the Christian people, the "stew
ards of the mysteries of God"
(1 Cor. 4, 1), the witnesses to
the Gospel, the ministers of
the New Testament and, in a
certain sense, the very re
flection of the glory of the Lord
(Cf. 2 Cor. 3, 6-18).
AS successors of Peter and,
therefore, as possessors of full
power over the entire Church,
we have the duty of heading the
body of the episcopate, although
we are surely unworthy of this
dignity. Nevertheless, our po
sition in no way defrauds you,
our brother bishops, of your
due authority. On the contrary,
we are among the first to re
spect that sacred authority. If
our apostolic duty obliges us to
impose restrictions, to define
terminology, to prescribe
modes of action, to regulate the
methods which concern the ex
ercise of episcopal authority,
you realize that this is done for
the good of the entire Church,
for the unity of that Church
which has proportionately
greater need of centralized
leadership as its worldwide ex
tension becomes more com
plete, as more serious dangers
and more pressing needs
threatens the Christian people
in the varying circumstances of
history and, we may add, as
more rapid means of commu
nication become operative in
modern times.
No one should regard such
centralization as a device for^
mulated by pride. Centraliza
tion will surely be always tem
pered and balanced by an alert
and timely delegation both of
authority and of facilities for
local pastors. We assure you,
our brothers in the episcopate,
that this centralization is rath
er a service and a manifesta
tion of the unifying and hierar-
chical spirit of the Church. It
is the glory, the power, the
beauty which Chirst promised to
His Church and which He grad
ually grants to it as the ages
run their course.
APROPOS of this topic, we
can recall the words which
Pius XII of happy memory ad
dressed to a certain group of
bishops: **This union and this
timely communication with the
Holy See arises, not from a kind
of longing to achieve centraliza
tion and homogeneity, but rath
er from the divine law itself
and from a truly fundamental
principle affecting the very es
sence of the Church of Christ”
(A.A.S., 1954, P. 676).
Such centralization streng
thens rather than weakens the
authority of bishops, whether
that authority be considered in
the individual bishop or in the
colleglallty of the bishops. 0
how deeply we admire, how
stanchly we support the rights
and duties proper to the sacred
hierarchy, which is the very
Instrument, born of the charity
of Christ, and fashioned by Him
to complete, to communicate,
and to safeguard the integral
and fruitful transmission of the
Treasures of Faith, of example,
of precepts, and of favors be
queathed by Christ to His
Church!
THE hierarchy is the mother
of the community of the faithfiil.
It is the architect of its visible
framework. It is the public rej>-
resentative which wins for the
Church the titles of mother and
teacher. It is the bearer of the
riches of the sacraments, the
conductor of the symphony of
prayer, the inspiration of works
of charity.
Placed at the head of the sac
red institution, how could we
to devote to it our solicitude,
our trust, our support? How
could we fail to defend it? What
duty presses upon us with great
er frequency, with graver con
sequence, or with deeper satis
faction than that of safeguard
ing the independence, the free
dom, the dignity of sacred hier
archy throughout the world? Is
it not true that this exhausting
task has been the very fabric
from which has been woven the
tapestry of the history of the
papacy, especially in these
years of political upheavals?
LET us add one further thought
to this tribute to the episcopate
in order to show how much its
intrinsic nobility and its effec
tive charity are enhanced by the
harmonious unity which must
bind it in dose union with the
Apostolic See, and how much
the Apostolic See needs you,
venerable brothers.
For your part, dispersed as
you are all over the world, if
you are to give shape and sub
stance to the true catholicity of
the Church, you have need of
a center, a principle of unity
in faith and communion, a uni
fying power, such as, in fact,
you find in this Chair of Peter.
Similarly, we need to have you
always nearby, to give more ful
ly to the coutenance of the Apos
tolic See its beauty, its human
and historic reality, even to give
harmony to its faith, to be an
example in the fulfilment of its
duties and a consolation in its
times of stress.
SO that, while we look forward
to the dearer definition which
the council’s deliberations will
give to the doctrine of the epis
copacy, we hear and now pay you
honor, pledge to you our af
fection as brother and father,
and ask of you cooperation and
support. May the communion,
which binds together the Cath
olic hierarchy in living faith
and charity, emerge from this
council deeper, stronger and
more holy. It will be to the
glory of Christ, the peace of
the Church and the light of the
world.
There is much more we would
like to say on this question and
on many others of the first im
portance which have been
brought up for the attention of
the council, but we do not wish
to tax your patience.
HOWEVER, we cannot forego
the pleasure of sending a spec
ial greeting at this moment
from this Holy See to the var
ious dioceses and parishes
which you represent here; first
of all to our beloved and esteem
ed priests who labor so unself
ishly in collaboration with their
bishops; and to Religious, striv
ing for every perfection that will
make them like Christ and of
service to their fellow men; to
the Catholic laity, working with
the hierarchy for the good of the
Church and for the good of so
ciety; to the poor, the perse
cuted and the suffering; and
especially to those whom the
lack of freedom still prevents
from coming to this council.
We wish also to welcome the
auditors here present. Their
high ideals and outstanding
merits are not secret to us. And
we are delighted to welcome
among the auditors our beloved
daughters in Christ, the first
women in history to partici
pate in a conciliar assembly.
The auditors—both men and
women—will not be slow to rea
lize that behind this welcome of
ours lifes our fatherly love for
all groups who make up the
people of God, our desire to
give the Christian community
an ever-increasing sense of
harmony, collaboration and
charity.
AND now we turn to you, the
observers, with reverence and
esteem, for you have once more
accepted our invitation to attend
the council. We welcome and
thank you. We wish to assure
you once more of our purpose
and hope to be able one day to
remove every obstacle, every
misunderstanding, every hesi
tancy that still prevents us
from feeling hilly "of one heart
and one soul” in Christ, in
His Church (Acts 4, 32).
For our part, we shall do
everything possible to this end.
We are fully aware that the
restoration of this unity is
something of no small moment,
and we shall give it all the at
tention and the time that it
calls for. It is something new,
in contrast with the long, sad
history which led up to the var
ious separations, and we shall
wait patiently for the condi
tions to ripen that will make
possible a positive and friendly
solution. It is something, too,
•of deepest: significance, hav
ing its roots in the mysterious
counsels of God, and we shall
strive, in humility and faith,
to dispose ourselves to deserve
so great a grace.
WE recall the words of the
Apostle Paul, who brought the
gift of the Gospel to all nations,
seeking to become ' all things
to all men" (1 Cor. 9, 22),
such an adaptability as we might
today be tempted to call "plu
ralism in practice." At the
same time we recall how the
same apostle has exhorted us to
"preserve the unity of the Spir
it in the bond of peace" because
there is only "One Lord, one
faith, one Baptism, one God and
Father of all” (Eph. 4, 2, 5-6),
We shall therefore strive, in
loyalty to the unity of Christ’s
Church, to understand better
and to welcome all that is gen
uine and admissible in the dif
ferent Christian denominations
that are distinct from us. And
at the same time we beg of
them to try to understand the
Catholic Faith and life better
and, when we invite them to en
ter into the fulness of truth and
charity which, as an unmerited
blessing but a formidable re
sponsibility, Christ has charged
us to preserve, we beg them not
to take it in bad part, but as
being prompted by respect and
brotherly love. For that fulness
of truth and charity will be made
the more manifest when all
those who profess the Name of
Christ are re-assembled into
one.
MEANWHILE, through you,
our reverend and esteemed
guests and observers in this
council, we wish to send our
cordial greetings to the various
Christian communities which
you represent. May our re
spectful regard also reach those
which are not represented here.
We gather together in our pray
er and our affections all those
members who are still parted
from the full spiritual and vis
ible wholeness of the Mystical
Body of Chirst; and in this
yearning of our love and con
cern, our sorrow grows, our
hopes increase.
0 churches that are so far and
yet so close to us, churches for
whom our heart is filled with
longing, churches that are the
nostalgia of our sleepless
nights, churches of our tears
and of our desire to do you hon
or gy our embrace in the sin
cere love of Christl
0 MAY you hear, sounding
from this keystone of unity, the
tomb of Peter, apostle and mar
tyr, and from this ecumenical
council of brotherhood and
peace, the loving cry we send
you! Maybe great distances
still separate us, maybe Itwlll
be long before our full and ef
fective meeting can be realiz
ed. But know for sure that al
ready we hold you in our heart.
May the God of mercies sup
port our deeply felt yearning
and hope.
And finally may our thoughts
go out to the world about us,
with its own Interests, also
with its indifference, perhaps
even its hostility. We renew
the greeting which we addres
sed to it from Bethlehem with
our resolute purpose of placing
the Church at the service of its
spiritual salvation and of its
social prosperity, to bring it
peace and true happiness.
We invite you all now, vene
rable brothers, to call upon the
Holy Spirit together, as we
make ready to inaugurate the
third session of this Second
Vatican Council, and in the name
of the Lord, with trust in the
help of Mary Most Holy and of
the holy apostles, Peter and
Paul, we bestow upon you all
our apostolic blessing.
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