Ideologization of the Spirit of the Second Vatican Council in the Light of the Teachings of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI (1927–2022)

Abstract

Ratzinger reads the Second Vatican Council through the lens of what he refers to as the most Catholic letter of the alphabet, ‘I’. He asserts that a Catholic cannot oppose Vatican II to Council of Trent or Vatican I, nor can one oppose the latter councils to Vatican II. Thus, Ratzinger rejects the ‘either–or’ dichotomy that places the Council of Trent and Vatican I in opposition to Vatican II, an alternative posited by adherents of ideological interpretations. Employing a hermeneutic of continuity, Ratzinger does not succumb to the anti-spirit of the Council, which promotes a break from pre-conciliar tradition under the premise that all new developments are inherently superior to what preceded them.This progressive interpretation, which Ratzinger identifies as ‘progressism’, is contrasted with ‘traditionalism’ or ‘integrism’. Traditionalists regard the pre-Council Church as superior to its post-Council developments, just as progressives view the new as better than the old. Ratzinger observes that although progressives outnumber traditionalists, the latter maintain more strictly defined structures. He critiques both extremes as manifestations of anti-spirit of the Council which he sees as an ideology , aiming to realize a utopian vision. In Ratzinger’s view the true spirit of the Council emanates from the Holy Spirit, who worked through the people of the Council. He likens himself to ‘the father of a family who brings out of his treasury things new and old’ (Mt. 13:52). The true spirit of the Council originates from the Holy Spirit, and it was articulated through the contributions of the Council’s participants.