1. Resume of the Article
The article The Pastoral Nature Of Vatican II: An Evaluation written on the website http://theradicalcatholic.blogspot.com/2015/02/on-pastoral-nature-of-vatican-ii.html, is a very interesting article. This article is a written copy of a video presentation given by Msgr. Brunero Gherardini in December 2010. It was posted to the website on Monday, February 2, 2015. Broadly speaking, the article talks about what pastoral care means according to the Second Vatican Council.
Although it cannot be equated, the pastoral itself is figuratively compared to the Arabian Phoenix. Where exactly is the similarity? This is what the sentence in this article asserts: "Once upon a time, there was the Arabian Phoenix. Everyone talked about her, but no one had ever seen her. And today there is an updated version, also much talked about, but nobody can tell what it may be. Its name is Pastoral." Pastoral is very commonly mentioned and used in the Catholic Church. Despite its familiarity, the definition and adequate explanation of pastoral has yet to be elaborated.
In this article, Msgr. Brunero Gherardini attempts to explain and elaborate on the meaning of the word pastoral etymologically and also in the context of the Second Vatican Council. Because the concept of pastoral itself received more attention in the Second Vatican Council, even though its role was not obvious. Pastoral is often contrasted with dogma and doctrine. Pastoral can also be understood more deeply as the embodiment of the teachings of the Christian faith in the midst of the people. At the time of the Second Vatican Council and afterwards, pastoral was already widely used and became a method or means of proclamation, even though it was not a fundamental teaching of the Council. There was no compulsion to apply the Council's teachings, but the call to develop the Church amidst the challenges of the times was urgent. The Second Vatican Council has tried to show how important it is to see and develop ourselves in the midst of change, without losing our identity.
In this article, there are four levels to which the Council itself is placed:
I.The generic level of ecumenical council as ecumenical council.
II.The specific level of its "pastoral" role.
III.The level of appeal to other councils.
IV.The level of its innovations.
It is emphasized that the Councils including Vatican II occupy the first rank. It fulfills all the requirements to be an authentic Council of the Catholic Church. It is the twenty-first in a series of Councils. Its Magisterium is the solemn and highest magisterium of the Council. After the Council, the second level sees the pastoral role. The pastoral role in this context is to verify the importance of the Council beyond the boundaries of faith and theology. Certainly mentioned are mass media, technology, politics, in short, all aspects of developments in the world.Â
The second level, then, refers more to the contextualization of the teachings of faith. At the third level, the Council is more focused on other councils. And finally, it places innovations that can be effective outside the Council. It is clear that at this level, Vatican II and all other Councils are situated. Each Council will essentially be able to establish some specific innovations that have a direct impact on the world. The real innovation must lead the Church to dare to go out, proclaim Christ without forcing others to follow our will. The Church is directed to dare to build relationships with fellow human beings regardless of their boundaries.
