#Gaudium et spes

[eternal-echoes]

In the coming weeks there will be quotes from the Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes being posted in this blog. It may or may not be a good idea because I'm worried that the quotes will be taken in isolation (which have been the reason why people think it contradicts past teachings of the Church) rather than encourage people to read the whole document. I'm hoping it's the latter because it has a lot of interesting commentary on the secular world and politics.

And because I'm just a layperson with a philosophy degree, not theology degree, I'm also worried that I didn't provide enough context in the section of passages I decided to enclose in quotations. Whenever you see something that seems to be in contradiction to what you have been accustomed to understand as authentic Catholicism, please remember this passage from Pope Benedict XVI's letter to the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre:

"The Church’s teaching authority cannot be frozen in the year 1962 – this must be quite clear to the Society. But some of those who put themselves forward as great defenders of the Council also need to be reminded that Vatican II embraces the entire doctrinal history of the Church. Anyone who wishes to be obedient to the Council has to accept the faith professed over the centuries, and cannot sever the roots from which the tree draws its life."

We must avoid both traditionally heretical and liberally heretical interpretation and application of Vatican II.

Because as Aristotle says, "every virtue is a state that lies between two vices"

[apenitentialprayer]

[TW for animal death and euthanasia, please don’t answer if you don’t want to] I was wondering if the Catholic Church has any doctrine on the euthanasia of animals? Clearly there’s a pro life understanding of human euthanasia in the church, but I would say that’s more promulgated on imago dei grounds, which we can’t say dogs or the like are exactly like the image of God in the way humans are. However, they are still creations from God, so I’d be interested to know if the church has any specific recommendations for this for pet owners or people who take care of animals. Thank you.

Euthanizing animals is not considered inherently sinful in the Catholic Church. An animal life does not have the same qualitative relationship that a human being does in relation to its Creator (because, as you said, human beings are created in the image of God, and have an eternal dimension that animals do not participate in).

Human beings are the only creatures God willed for their own sake (Gaudium et spes, §24), and the rest of creation has been placed under the stewardship of man (Psalm 8:7-9). This is why, for example, we can eat animals. But at the same time, this stewardship does not mean we get to domineer over the rest of creation; we need to take care of them. And, interestingly, the Catechism specifically says that causing "animals to suffer or die needlessly" is contrary to human dignity (CCC #2418) — if the Catechism's statement were to be read in light of the types of human dignity described in Dignitas infinita (§7-8), presumably this is a violation of our moral dignity, where we have abused our freedom in such a way as to violate the way in which we are called to live.

Because animals are created sans the Imago Dei, because animal existence does not reconcile itself to eternity the same way that human existence in every aspect of its nature does, and because animals are ultimately placed under the stewardship of human beings, human beings can make decisions on behalf of animals, up to and including ending their lives. In terms of euthanasia, the Catechism actually gives two examples of when euthanizing animals would be okay: when animals are suffering needlessly, and when the cost of keeping an animal alive and healthy prevents the animal's owner from contributing to the relief of suffering human neighbors.

[tonreihe]

“The human intellect in a fashion is extending its sway over time: over the past by historical knowledge, over the future by prediction and planning.”

Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World)

[pablo-garegnani]

Pedagogía y Catequesis: diálogo sobre los problemas centrales de la educación

En el episodio anterior de Haciendo Eco nos enfocamos en los problemas previos de la educación. Ahora, toca hacerlo en los centrales. Los problemas centrales de la pedagogía entrañan gran profundidad y son indispensables para entender la educación y comprometerse a renovarla. Hablamos, básicamente, de tres preguntas de peso: ¿A qué persona educamos? ¿Para qué lo hacemos? ¿Qué pasos dar para…

[andre83us]

«Una nuova intimità col mondo»: la rivoluzione della Gaudium et spes

Prolusione di mons. Perego per l’inizio della Scuola di teologia per laici: «nasce un nuovo umanesimo cristiano». Sono stati 140 i partecipanti al primo incontro C’è un numero che getta una luce positiva sul nuovo percorso della Scuola diocesana di teologia per laici: quello di 140, cioè i partecipanti al primo incontro dell’anno pastorale.  Un dato significativo, che dice di un desiderio…

[famousharmonyluminary]

Definicja polityki i dobrego wyboru według Jana Pawła II

Wspólnota polityczna istnieje ze względu na dobro wspólne, w którym uzyskuje pełne usprawiedliwienie i znaczenie i z którego czerpie pierwotne, właściwe sobie prawo – czytamy w konstytucji Gaudium et spes. I to jest oficjalne nauczanie Kościoła. Naród ma prawo urządzać sobie świat po chrześcijańsku jeśli jest i chce być chrześcijański i ma do tego prawo, bo respektuje prawo naturalne. To jest…

[thecatholicbozo]

[cathnews]

Germany's synodal path has failed

Germany’s synodal path has failed

Cardinal Walter Kasper says the German way forward on its “synodal path” has failed. Kasper, who is the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity’s President Emeritus, points to the Second Vatican Council’s path in synodal fellowship. The Church would only have a future if it continued on that path – a path that the German synodal path “had failed to take,” he says. This won’t mean acting…

[eesirachs]

i know that this is a wide scope question but what philosophy books/authors do you think are necessary for a theological self study with a liberation slant?

if i were composing an undergraduate intro class to liberation theology i would include gutierrez, romero, cone, gaudium et spes, ateek, dolores williams, wariboko, khumalo’s chapter in life under the baobab tree, althaus-reid, saidiya hartman, grace cho, and hortense spillers. this covers liberation theology done from the following frameworks: black theology, womanism, latin american theology, palestinian theology, african theology, korean feminist theology, and generally, post-colonialism

[eternal-echoes]

“Christians should cooperate willingly and wholeheartedly in establishing an international order that includes a genuine respect for all freedoms and amicable brotherhood between all. This is all the more pressing since the greater part of the world is still suffering from so much poverty that it is as if Christ Himself were crying out in these poor to beg the charity of the disciples. Do not let men, then, be scandalized because some countries with a majority of citizens who are counted as Christians have an abundance of wealth, whereas others are deprived of the necessities of life and are tormented with hunger, disease, and every kind of misery. The spirit of poverty and charity are the glory and witness of the Church of Christ.

Those Christians are to be praised and supported, therefore, who volunteer their services to help other men and nations. Indeed, it is the duty of the whole People of God, following the word and example of the bishops, to alleviate as far as they are able the sufferings of the modern age. They should do this too, as was the ancient custom in the Church, out of the substance of their goods, and not only out of what is superfluous.”

-Gaudium et Spes, PASTORAL CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD

[apenitentialprayer]

[T]he expectation of a new earth must not weaken but rather stimulate our concern for cultivating this one. For here grows the body of a new human family, a body which even now is able to give some kind of foreshadowing of the new age.

Gaudium et spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (§39b)

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (October 22)

Saint John Paul II is perhaps one of the most well-known pontiffs in recent history.

He is most remembered for his charismatic nature, his love of youth and his world travels, along with his role in the fall of communism in Europe during his 27-year papacy.

Karol Józef Wojtyla, known as John Paul II since his October 1978 election to the papacy, was born in the Polish town of Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometers from Krakow, on 18 May 1920.

He was the youngest of three children born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska.

His mother died in 1929. His eldest brother Edmund, a doctor, died in 1932. His father, a non-commissioned army officer, died in 1941. A sister, Olga, had died before he was born.

He was baptized on 20 June 1920 in the parish church of Wadowice by Fr. Franciszek Zak, made his First Holy Communion at age 9, and was confirmed at 18.

Upon graduation from Marcin Wadowita high school in Wadowice, he enrolled in Krakow's Jagiellonian University in 1938.

The Nazi occupation forces closed the university in 1939 and young Karol had to work in a quarry (1940-1944).

He then worked in the Solvay chemical factory to earn his living and to avoid being deported to Germany.

In 1942, aware of his call to the priesthood, he began courses in the clandestine seminary of Krakow, run by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, archbishop of Krakow.

At the same time, Karol Wojtyla was one of the pioneers of the "Rhapsodic Theatre," also clandestine.

After the Second World War, he continued his studies in the major seminary of Krakow, once it had re-opened, and in the faculty of theology of the Jagiellonian University.

He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Sapieha in Krakow on 1 November 1946.

Shortly afterwards, Cardinal Sapieha sent him to Rome where he worked under the guidance of the French Dominican, Garrigou-Lagrange.

He finished his doctorate in theology in 1948 with a thesis on the subject of faith in the works of St. John of the Cross (Doctrina de fide apud Sanctum Ioannem a Cruce).

At that time, during his vacations, he exercised his pastoral ministry among the Polish immigrants of France, Belgium and Holland.

In 1948, he returned to Poland and was vicar of various parishes in Krakow as well as chaplain to university students.

This period lasted until 1951 when he again took up his studies in philosophy and theology.

In 1953, he defended a thesis on the "Evaluation of the possibility of founding a Catholic ethic on the ethical system of Max Scheler" at Lublin Catholic University.

He became professor of moral theology and social ethics in the major seminary of Krakow and in the Faculty of Theology of Lublin.

On 4 July 1958, he was appointed titular bishop of Ombi and auxiliary of Krakow by Pope Pius XII.

He was consecrated by Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak on 28 September 1958 in Wawel Cathedral, Krakow.

On 13 January 1964, he was appointed archbishop of Krakow by Pope Paul VI, who made him a cardinal on 26 June 1967 with the title of S. Cesareo in Palatio of the order of deacons, later elevated pro illa vice to the order of priests.

Besides taking part in Vatican Council II (1962-1965) where he made an important contribution to drafting the Constitution Gaudium et spes, Cardinal Wojtyla participated in all the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops.

The Cardinals elected him Pope at the Conclave of 16 October 1978. He took the name of John Paul II.

On October 22, the Lord's Day, he solemnly inaugurated his Petrine ministry as the 263rd successor to the Apostle.

His pontificate, one of the longest in the history of the Church, lasted nearly 27 years.

Driven by his pastoral solicitude for all Churches and by a sense of openness and charity to the entire human race, John Paul II exercised the Petrine ministry with a tireless missionary spirit, dedicating it all his energy.

He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy. As Bishop of Rome, he visited 317 of the city's 333 parishes.

He had more meetings than any of his predecessors with the People of God and the leaders of Nations.

More than 17,600,000 pilgrims participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays (more than 1160), not counting other special audiences and religious ceremonies [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone], and the millions of faithful he met during pastoral visits in Italy and throughout the world.

We must also remember the numerous government personalities he encountered during 38 official visits, 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, and 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers.

His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days.

The 19 WYDs celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world.

At the same time, his care for the family was expressed in the World Meetings of Families, which he initiated in 1994.

John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with the Jews and with the representatives of other religions, whom he invited several times to prayer meetings for peace, especially in Assisi.

Under his guidance, the Church prepared herself for the third millennium and celebrated the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 in accordance with the instructions given in the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio adveniente.

The Church then faced the new epoch, receiving his instructions in the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio ineunte in which he indicated to the faithful their future path.

With the Year of the Redemption, the Marian Year and the Year of the Eucharist, he promoted the spiritual renewal of the Church.

He gave an extraordinary impetus to Canonizations and Beatifications, focusing on countless examples of holiness as an incentive for the people of our time.

He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies during which he proclaimed 1,338 Blesseds and 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints.

He made Thérèse of the Child Jesus a Doctor of the Church.

He considerably expanded the College of Cardinals, creating 231 Cardinals (plus one in pectore) in 9 consistories.

He also called six full meetings of the College of Cardinals.

He organized 15 Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops — six Ordinary General Assemblies (1980, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1994, and 2001); one Extraordinary General Assembly (1985); and eight Special Assemblies (1980,1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998 (2), and 1999).

His most important Documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters.

He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the light of Tradition as authoritatively interpreted by the Second Vatican Council.

He also reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law, created new Institutions, and reorganized the Roman Curia.

As a private Doctor, he also published five books of his own: "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" (October 1994), "Gift and Mystery, on the fiftieth anniversary of my ordination as priest" (November 1996), "Roman Triptych" poetic meditations (March 2003), "Arise, Let us Be Going" (May 2004) and "Memory and Identity" (February 2005).

In the light of Christ risen from the dead, on 2 April A.D. 2005, at 9:37 pm, while Saturday was drawing to a close and the Lord's Day was already beginning, the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church's beloved Pastor, John Paul II, departed this world for the Father.

From that evening until April 8, date of the funeral of the late Pontiff, more than three million pilgrims came to Rome to pay homage to the mortal remains of the Pope.

Some of them queued up to 24 hours to enter St. Peter's Basilica.

On April 28, the Holy Father Benedict XVI announced that the normal five-year waiting period before beginning the cause of beatification and canonization would be waived for John Paul II.

The cause was officially opened by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, on 28 June 2005. He was beatified on 1 May 2011.

On 27 April 2014, he was canonized by Pope Francis during a ceremony in St. Peter's Square.

In an April 24 message sent to the Church in Poland, Pope Francis gave thanks for the 'great gift' of the new Saint, saying of John Paul II that he is grateful, "as all the members of the people of God, for his untiring service, his spiritual guidance, and for his extraordinary testimony of holiness."

[singhallelujahh]

hold up homies I’m getting emotional about the preface to gaudium et spes again

[rubensfilho1397]

### A Blasfêmia nas Olimpíadas na França em 2024 e a Agenda Globalista Contra Cristo e Sua Igreja

#### Introdução

As Olimpíadas de 2024, que acontecem em Paris, França, têm suscitado debates intensos e preocupações entre os católicos e outros grupos religiosos. A acusação de blasfêmia relacionada ao evento não é apenas um reflexo de um crescente sentimento anticristão, mas também um indicativo das tensões entre a agenda globalista e os valores cristãos. Este artigo examina como esses eventos se conectam com as tradições e ensinamentos da Igreja Católica, oferecendo uma análise crítica através de citações bíblicas, doutores da Igreja, e documentos eclesiais.

#### Contexto das Olimpíadas e o Fenômeno da Blasfêmia

Em julho de 2024, Paris está sendo o palco de um dos maiores eventos esportivos mundiais: os Jogos Olímpicos. No entanto, a escolha de certos temas e símbolos para as cerimônias e apresentações gerou controvérsias. Em particular, elementos que alguns consideram ofensivos ou blasfemos foram incluídos, levando a uma discussão sobre a relação entre religião e eventos públicos.

A blasfêmia, definida como uma ação ou expressão que desrespeita o sagrado, é um conceito bem discutido na tradição cristã. Em Mateus 12:31-32, Jesus fala sobre o pecado contra o Espírito Santo, um pecado imperdoável. Esse conceito de blasfêmia é amplamente interpretado como uma ofensa direta ao Deus vivo e à Sua obra redentora.

#### Agenda Globalista e Seus Impactos

A agenda globalista, frequentemente associada a uma visão secular e relativista da moralidade, tem se manifestado através de políticas e práticas que, em muitos casos, entram em conflito com os valores cristãos. De acordo com o Papa Bento XVI, "a globalização não é um fenômeno neutro, mas sim um processo que pode ser moldado de acordo com valores morais e éticos" (Encíclica "Caritas in Veritate", 2009).

Os críticos argumentam que a agenda globalista promove uma cultura de relativismo moral que desconsidera princípios absolutos, como os encontrados na doutrina cristã. Este ambiente pode facilitar a inclusão de símbolos e temas em eventos como as Olimpíadas que desrespeitam ou ridicularizam a fé cristã.

#### Perspectiva dos Doutores da Igreja

São Tomás de Aquino, um dos maiores doutores da Igreja, discute a blasfêmia em sua "Summa Theologiae". Ele escreve: "A blasfêmia é um pecado grave porque denigre a honra de Deus e é uma ofensa direta ao Criador" (ST II-II, q. 13, a. 1). Aquino argumenta que a blasfêmia é particularmente grave porque reflete uma rejeição consciente da reverência devida a Deus.

São Agostinho, em seus escritos, também reflete sobre o impacto da blasfêmia: "Quando se despreza o sagrado, não é apenas uma ofensa contra a verdade divina, mas também um ataque à ordem moral estabelecida por Deus" (Confissões, Livro I). Esta visão ressoa com as preocupações atuais sobre a representação da religião em eventos globais e sua potencial banalização.

#### Documentos da Igreja e Condenação da Blasfêmia

O Catecismo da Igreja Católica também aborda a blasfêmia com clareza. O número 2148 afirma: "A blasfêmia é uma ofensa direta ao nome de Deus, ao qual o homem deve reverência e adoração. A blasfêmia é um pecado grave e, como tal, deve ser evitada." Este ensinamento destaca a seriedade com que a Igreja vê qualquer ação que diminua a dignidade de Deus.

Além disso, o Concílio Vaticano II, em "Gaudium et Spes", sublinha a importância de proteger os valores religiosos dentro da sociedade: "Os cristãos são chamados a dar um testemunho autêntico da sua fé, respeitando e promovendo os valores morais e espirituais" (Gaudium et Spes, 21). Esse compromisso com a verdade e o respeito pela dignidade de Deus é uma base essencial para a crítica da blasfêmia nas Olimpíadas.

#### Considerações Finais

A crescente tensão entre a agenda globalista e os valores cristãos é evidente em eventos como as Olimpíadas de 2024 em Paris. A inclusão de elementos que podem ser vistos como blasfemos não é apenas uma questão de sensibilidade religiosa, mas também um reflexo de uma luta maior entre a moralidade tradicional e as tendências secularizantes da sociedade moderna.

A tradição cristã, conforme expressa nos ensinamentos de Cristo, doutores da Igreja e documentos eclesiais, oferece uma base sólida para entender e responder a esses desafios. Em um mundo onde o respeito pela fé muitas vezes é comprometido por agendas globalistas, a Igreja Católica continua a defender a dignidade de Deus e a moralidade universal, conforme revelado nas Escrituras e na tradição da Igreja.

[apesoformythoughts]

«As Gaudium et Spes teaches, conscience plays an important role when we "act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way," in order to choose what is good and to "freely attain [our] full and blessed perfection" in union with God. Yet, for Christians the most central moral framework is found in the cross, the church, and new creation […] The Catholic moral life consists in a Christ-centered ethics of the inaugurated kingdom of God, in which the Spirit heals and elevates us in charity while also forming us in humility and prudence and enlightening our perception of the natural law. An exaggerated conception of conscience within moral theology is an impediment to proclaiming and practicing the Catholic moral life.”

— Matthew Levering: “Introduction”, The Abuse of Conscience

[incamminoblog]

Dalla Costituzione pastorale «Gaudium et spes» Speranza in un nuovo mondo migliore

Dalla Costituzione pastorale «Gaudium et spes» del Concilio ecumenico Vaticano II sulla Chiesa e il mondo contemporaneo(N. 39)Speranza in un nuovo mondo migliore     Ignoriamo il tempo in cui avranno fine la terra e l’umanità, e non sappiamo il modo con cui sarà trasformato l’universo. Passa certamente l’aspetto di questo mondo, deformato dal peccato. Sappiamo, però, dalla rivelazione che Dio…