Second Vatican Council

Called by Pope St. John XXIII, the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) was a monumental effort to renew the Church (aggiornamento) and engage with the modern world. Attended by over 2,500 bishops, it produced 16 pivotal documents. Key reforms included the revision of the liturgy to allow the vernacular languages alongside Latin, a renewed theology of the laity and the Church as the 'People of God' (Lumen Gentium), an emphasis on ecumenical dialogue, and a declaration on religious liberty (Dignitatis Humanae). Its implementation continues to shape the contemporary Catholic experience.