Vatican II

The Latest

St. Michael the Archangel.

Bishop defends St. Michael’s prayer at Mass: ‘The devil has no influence’

Nov 2, 2024

By Jonah McKeown

In a letter to the editor published Oct. 21, Father Gerald J. Bednar wrote that the Vatican “suppressed this practice... Read more

Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, on the set of EWTN News live from at the Synod on Synodality, Oct. 22, 2024.

Cardinal Czerny: Legacy of Synod on Synodality will be a ‘refreshed’ missionary Church

Oct 24, 2024

By Kristina Millare

“The central insight of Vatican II is that we are all enjoying equal dignity as Christians by our baptism,” Canadian... Read more

Cardinal Agostino Marchetto.

We can’t subvert tradition to please the world, Synod on Synodality cardinal says

Oct 28, 2023

By Marcelo Musa Cavallari

“Certainly we cannot ignore the world, and that’s why it’s a mistake to entrench ourselves in the past,” Cardinal Agostino... Read more

Australian theologian Father Ormond Rush addresses the General Assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 23, 2023, in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

Theologian points to Vatican II’s ‘dynamic’ tradition in Synod on Synodality speech

Oct 23, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

Tradition “was a major point of discussion at the Second Vatican Council,” Father Ormond Rush said Monday. Read more

Synod of Synodality delegates tour the catacombs of St. Sebastian. Rome, Italy, Oct. 13, 2023.

Synod on Synodality delegates make a pilgrimage to Rome’s catacombs

Oct 13, 2023

By Courtney Mares

Hundreds of delegates took a break from their discussions of synodality to visit the catacombs of St. Sebastian and St.... Read more

Bishop George Leo Thomas.

Meet the U.S.’s newest archbishop and leader of the Church in Las Vegas

Jun 28, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

Archbishop George Leo Thomas will receive the pallium from the pope at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday,... Read more

Bishops at the Second Vatican Council.

Fatima, Vatican II, and the world’s consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Oct 23, 2022

By Andrea Gagliarducci

The 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council is not the only notable anniversary currently being celebrated... Read more

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI.

Benedict XVI reflects on Vatican II in new letter

Oct 21, 2022

By AC Wimmer, Shannon Mullen

The letter provides fresh observations from one of the few remaining theologians to have personally participated in Vatican II, which... Read more

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J., speaking at the press conference in the Vatican on Aug. 26, 2022.

Cardinal Hollerich: Without Vatican II, ‘the Church today would be a small sect’

Oct 18, 2022

By Courtney Mares

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the relator general of the Synod on Synodality, has said that he is convinced that the Second... Read more

A procession of Council Fathers at the opening of Vatican II, Oct. 11, 1962.

What two future popes saw at the Second Vatican Council

Oct 18, 2022

By Kevin J. Jones

Sixty years ago this month, Vatican II brought together bishops, Catholic leaders, and even non-Catholic observers to reflect on the... Read more

The Church of Saints Michael and Magnus, close to the Vatican, uses four of the bench seats from the Second Vatican Council as choir stalls for prayer.

What happened to the wooden seats used during Vatican II?

Oct 16, 2022

By Hannah Brockhaus

Out of the thousands of chairs used during the ecumenical council, 24 seats can still be found today in a... Read more

Cardinal Roger Etchegaray speaks with CNA in Rome on Oct. 17, 2014.

A ‘simple note’ of Vatican II that inspired a great story

Oct 12, 2022

By Andrea Gagliarducci

Few remember today, 60 years after Vatican II, that one of the outcomes of that monumental event was the Council... Read more

Pope John XXIII’s coronation

What was Vatican II all about? 10 quotes from St. John XXIII’s opening speech

Oct 11, 2022

By Jonah McKeown

The pope convened Vatican II with the aim of responding to the challenges of the day and finding new ways... Read more

Pope Francis presides at a memorial Mass of St. John XXIII, which also marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, at St. Peter's Basilica on Oct. 11, 2022.

Pope Francis on Vatican II anniversary: ‘May the Church be overcome with joy’

Oct 11, 2022

By Hannah Brockhaus

The pope's Mass Tuesday marked the 60th anniversary of the day the Second Vatican Council was opened by St. John... Read more

Vatican II in session, circa 1962-1965

Vatican II at 60: A timeline of key moments

Oct 11, 2022

By AC Wimmer

Oct. 11 marks the 60th anniversary of a monumental event in the history of the Catholic Church: the gathering in... Read more

Cardinal Francis Spellman (center) announces the appointment of Fulton Sheen (third from right) as bishop of Rochester, New York, in 1966. Monsignor Hilary Franco is pictured on the far right.

Eyewitness to history: Bishop Fulton J. Sheen’s assistant remembers Vatican II ‘revolution’

Oct 11, 2022

By Hannah Brockhaus

Monsignor Hilary Franco was just a young priest when he called the office of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen to ask... Read more

Pope Francis sat at the front of the congregation in St. Peter's Basilica on the Solemnity of Pentecost on June 5, 2022.

Pope Francis: There are many ‘restorers’ in the US who do not accept Vatican II

Jun 14, 2022

By Hannah Brockhaus

‘Restorationism has come to gag the Council,’ the pope said. Read more

Bishops at the Second Vatican Council.

Vatican II not sole controversial council, Catholic theologian says

Aug 5, 2020

By JD Flynn

Amid recent contention over Vatican II, a theologian told CNA that ecumenical councils have a history of provoking conflict, but... Read more

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò.

Analysis: As Archbishop Viganò denounces Vatican II, the Vatican is not speaking

Jul 1, 2020

By JD Flynn

Neither Pope Francis nor the Vatican have said a word about Viganò or his growing pile of missives. Why?  Read more