Reception of Vatican II in Europe

Abstract Vatican II, often described as a European council, created huge expectations among European faithful, at least in the West. In Central and Eastern Europe, where many countries remained behind the Iron Curtain, the reception of Vatican II had to wait until the fall of communism. The council concluded at a moment when secularization was affecting Western European societies. Moreover, the second half of the 1960s was characterized by anti-authoritarian movements, causing unrest, if not crisis, in Roman Catholic central offices. A clash between local European churches and these central offices emerged on several levels: in resistance to local initiatives for religious formation, for the promotion of interaction between priests and faithful, and for the renewal of liturgical life. Central directives were rejected by local communities, resulting in polarization. Crises in episcopal collegiality, priesthood, and the role of women in the Church can also be seen as stemming from the conflicts between centre and periphery. The decline of religious and ordained vocations led the lay faithful to assume new responsibilities in liturgy, health care, education, and social commitment. This chapter argues that in responding to a crisis, Vatican II and its reception encountered many challenges unforeseen by the council fathers.