Eklezjologiczne przesłanie Vaticanum II a idea communio kard. Karola Wojtyły

Abstract

Revitalizing the book of Karol Cardinal Wojtyła: “At the Source of Renewal: A Study on the Realizations of Vatican II”. The above written article is a modest attempt at presenting the fundamental message of the Second Vatican Council, meaning its new understanding of the mystery of the Church. Council documents speak of four principle categories, which draw us closer to the complex character of the Church: i.e. an understanding of God’s people, community (communio), sacrament, and the mystical Body of Christ. These views of the Church are in no way exclusive of one another, instead they harmoniously complement each other. In recent years, it appears that in theology, as well as in the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church, there has been a greater emphasis on the communal character of the Churche. This observation is based on a combination of various elements. First, it is the result of a renewed and spiritually deepened reading of the writings from the last Council. The next stimulus emerged from the conferences at the Bishops’ Synod in 1985. Followed by two important Apostolic Letters, “Tertio Millennio Adveniente” and “Novo Millennio Ineunte”, related to the Great Jubilee of Christianity, which stressed the theology of community. And finally, the apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa, which speaks of the hope of community. In this context, an interesting case is made in the book written by Karol Cardinal Wojtyła titled “At the Source of Renewal: A Study on the Realizations of Vatican II”, which was first published immediately after the Second Vatican Council, and has since been issued in a new edition. The author, already at that time, had reached the conclusion that the leading thought of the Council was the Church as a Community. He had written, “Vatican II became a particular source of enrichment for our faith, which can be defined as ‘communal’. This enrichment is the principle function, flowing from the strictly defined consciousness of the Church, which communio establishes”. It is fitting and right that on the 25th Anniversary of John Paul II's pontificate we are able to discover his earlier thoughts, allowing us to achieve a deeper understanding of the Council’s doctrine.