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VATICAN COUNCIL III? VATICAN II HAS NOT YET BEEN FULLY IMPLEMENTED
Conclusions of International Symposium on Last Council Summit

VATICAN CITY, FEB 29 (ZENIT).- From February 25-27, over 200 Cardinals,
Bishops, theologians, and lay people met in the Vatican to discuss the
implementation of Vatican Council II. Many observers described the
meeting as a kind of mini-Synod on the future of the Church. In order to
better understand the results of this important meeting, ZENIT
interviewed Auxiliary Bishop Rino Fisichella of Rome, principal
organizer of this initiative, which was proposed by the Holy Father in
preparation for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.

Bishop Fisichella, who until recently was a professor of Theology at the
Pontifical Gregorian University, explained that "the final judgment on
the Congress is extremely positive, as we have achieved the objectives
posed by the Holy Father; in other words, this was not about judging all
the teachings of Vatican II, but about concentrating  on the four
fundamental principles on which the Council was based: the primacy of
the Word of God in the life of the Church, the ecclesiology of
communion, liturgical renewal, and the relation of the Church with the
world."

-- At what point is the discussion on the primacy of the Word of God in
the life of the Church?

-- Bishop Fisichella: The report by Albert Vanhoye, secretary of the
International Biblical Commission, showed that the Council proposed a
great novelty in recovering the unity of the source of the Word of God,
which is not just Scripture, but also Tradition. Moreover, it has been
demonstrated how even today it is necessary to apply what the primacy of
the Word of God really means. The years following the Council shadowed
the topic of Tradition, which, however, is decisive to really understand
the validity of Sacred Scripture, as the Christian faith is not a faith
of the Book, but of the Word. This faith remains constantly alive
through the uninterrupted and lively transmission by the people, the
community and the Church that live this Word.

-- As regards the ecclesiology of communion, some oppose this view of
the Church with another that is more democratic or sociological.

-- Bishop Fisichella: This topic was addressed by Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
who clarified some points that continue to stir controversy because of
some theologians who, in this regard, are somewhat ambiguous. The
Cardinal explained the profound meaning of the value of communion that
is based on the primacy of God and that, as a result, integrates the
communion of the faithful in the Trinitarian dimension, which is always
the priority. Because of this, he declared himself against those forms
of horizontalism of communion and, on the contrary, appealed to the most
original meaning of communion, as presence and gift of God, which
constitutes the mission of the Church."

-- The debate on liturgical reform continues to be very lively at
present.

-- Bishop Fisichella: Auxiliary Bishop Tena Garriga of Barcelona, and
the entire study group on liturgical renewal, showed how the reform was
developed in continuity with Tradition, although evidently the change of
language was not enough to understand that liturgical movement that must
always be an action of man directed to God and not just a simple
expression of the context in which prayer and the liturgy take place. It
emerged from the reports presented by the study groups that the best in
liturgical reform is yet to come and, as happens with all important
renewal movements, there have been some mistaken applications.

-- Will the Council be remembered as the great promoter of the dialogue
between the Church and the contemporary world?  What was said in this
respect during the Congress?

-- Bishop Fisichella: Here, thanks to "Gaudium et Spes," great steps
have been taken, in spite of the challenges posed at present by
post-modernism, which are focused on the topic of the present
anthropological conception. Bishop Angelo Scola, rector of the
Pontifical Lateran University, attempted to give a reply in the
Symposium on how it is possible to construct an anthropology that has
its strong point in the Christocentric dimension.

-- Has the debate on elements such as psychologism, horizontalism, etc.,
of the years immediately following the Council, receded?

-- Bishop Fisichella: Over the last 35 years we have lived through a
movement going in two directions. At first there was great enthusiasm in
the reception of the Council and the spirit of the Council. Later,
however, the interpretations of the Council came to the fore, and
everything was concentrated precisely in the possible interpretations.
In his closing address at the Symposium, the Pope said clearly that it
is not possible to approach Vatican II with preconceived interpretations
that are, consequently, foreign to the event. We are called to go deeper
and to live authentically the Council teaching. The time for the harvest
has arrived. John XXIII said the Council was a "small seed." Now it has
grown and become a plant. We must begin to gather the fruit and this
depends on all of us.

-- What do you think of the proposal to convoke a third Council?

-- Bishop Fisichella: This is an unreal hypothesis for two reasons. In
the first place, because we are in the full moment of learning and going
deeper into Vatican Council II. In the second place, because the topics
that must be addressed by the Council have already been studied and
amply clarified by the Pope and the Bishops.
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