October 5, 2021
Posted by ICTC on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 2:44 PM PDT
Signs of the Times
On October 11 we celebrate the anniversary of the beginning of Vatican II and the feast day of Pope John XXIII, who opened the council. This past January, Pope Francis clearly stated that to be Catholic was to embrace the teachings of Vatican II: "You can be with the church and therefore follow the council, or you can not follow the council or interpret it in your own way, as you want, and you are not with the church" (NCR, 2/1/21). As we head into the 60th anniversary of Vatican II in 2022, and given this powerful statement by Pope Francis, it behooves us to reexamine the content and ethos that emerged from this historical council.
This fall quarter, the ICTC is committed to offering multiple opportunities to explore the continued significance of Vatican II for Seattle University, the Catholic Church, and the world.
All are welcome to join the ICTC for a year-long discussion on the context, teachings and legacy of Vatican II, beginning on October 15. The following week, we invite you to our main Catholic Heritage Lecture (4pm on October 21) with Dr. Massimo Faggioli, a dynamic theologian, Vatican II scholar, and writer for La Croix International and Commonweal, who will discuss some of the most consequential changes in the "signs of the times" and reflect on what they mean for our understanding of church and mission. The fall Catholic Heritage Series concludes with a panel discussion on October 28 at 12:30pm; Dr. Orlando Espín will discuss Vatican II from the perspective of the Latinoax community and Dr. Catherine Clifford will focus on Christian unity and ecumenicism. More information on all of these events is below, please RSVP to ICTC@seattleu.edu to join us!
See the articles below to learn more about Pope Francis and Vatican II (the forthcoming book Siblings All, Sign of the Times: The Social Teaching of Pope Francis will be released in early 2022):
- Pope Francis: My spirituality comes directly from Vatican II (America Magazine, 9/28/21)
- ‘Always Together’ The unfinished work of Vatican II (Commonweal, 9/28/21)