THE CHURCH IN THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES | KAIROS GLOBAL | MARCH 2024

Author: Rodney Pereira

Intro: In this first of a two part article, Rodney Pereira continues the story of the Catholic Church into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 

Today, it is difficult to fathom the pace at which the world is evolving. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries, too, were characterised by sweeping changes. During this time, the world population grew fivefold. The growth of the Catholic Church was mostly outside Europe, on continents like Africa, Asia, and America. This period brings to mind the Napoleonic era, the two Vatican Councils, the two World Wars, immense political changes, and the profound modern cultural transformation. We will briefly outline some of the major aspects of this period.

Political Changes

The period commenced with the repercussions of the French Revolution, with attacks against the Church in many countries. The period witnessed huge political shifts that reshaped the global landscape. The Napoleonic Era; the series of uprisings across Europe; the end of feudalism; the rise of nationalism; the two World Wars; the decolonisation of continents like Asia and Africa; the Cold War; the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc marking the end of the Cold War—all shaped the political milieu of this period. The Catholic Church, too, went through sweeping changes in the midst of all this turmoil. The Congress of Vienna restored the Papal States to the Pope (these were central Italian territories that were under the sovereignty of the Pope from 756 AD onwards). However, the Italian unification movement led to the consolidation of the different states of the Italian peninsula and the Papal States being absorbed. By 1870, the Pope was confined to Vatican City.

The Three RevolutionsJ Brian Bransfield, in his book The Human Person according to John Paul II, identifies three revolutions at the centre of the storm in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: the Industrial Revolution, the Sexual Revolution, and the Technological Revolution.He writes: ‘The three revolutions have joined forces in a perfect storm that threatens to drown the notion of personhood. The storm has a direct impact on personal identity.The Industrial Revolution ravaged personhood with the idea that persons are what they produce, consume, spend, and profit from.The sexual revolution quickens the storm. The pursuit of pleasure becomes the primary focus along with the portfolio. Whatever feels good rules the day. Marriage, family, and children are obstacles to pleasure, so they are dispensed with. This is what it is to be a human person— accumulating things and pleasures. Unless you have those, you are less a person, and your personal identity is incomplete. Unless you are “feeling good” you are not a full person.The technological revolution surged in on top of the first two systems. To “you are what you acquire” and “you are what you feel,” it adds the steroidal rush of “now do it all as quickly as you can.” The greed of the Industrial Revolution and the hedonism of the sexual revolution now ride the wave of speed and efficiency.’

The results of these revolutions are clearly visible. According to a new report by the Pew Research Center, ‘nones’ (religiously unaffiliated people) make up the single largest religious category in the United States. The Catholic Church, too, has been badly affected. There is a serious crisis of faith. Back in 1958, Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI), in a lecture titled ‘The New Pagans and the Church,’ observed: ‘This so-called Christian Europe for almost four hundred years has become the birthplace of a new paganism, which is growing steadily in the heart of the Church, and threatens to undermine her from within. The outward shape of the modern Church is determined essentially by the fact that, in a totally new way, she has become the Church of pagans, and is constantly becoming even more so. She is no longer, as she once was, a Church composed of pagans who have become Christians, but a Church of pagans, who still call themselves Christians, but actually have become pagans.’

The Two Vatican CouncilsVatican I (1869–1870) and Vatican II (1962–1965) were momentous events of this period. Both were convened rather unexpectedly.

The First Vatican Council: Three centuries had passed since the Council of Trent (1545–1563 A.D.), when the first Vatican Council was convened. Pope Pius XI felt the urgent need to convene this council. The pressing topic of the relationship between faith and reason was becoming more and more relevant. The Church, reeling from challenges like the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century and the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, was now facing even more new intellectual challenges. The council had the participation of almost two-thirds of the world’s bishops, with all five continents represented for the first time. The Council regarded both faith and reason as important, observing that ‘there can never be any real disagreement between faith and reason, since it is the same God who reveals the mysteries and infuses faith, and who has endowed the human mind with the light of reason.’

The Council defined the doctrine of papal infallibility, stating that the Pope is infallible when speaking ex cathedra (from the chair) on matters of faith and morals. The council came to an end rather abruptly because the Franco-Prussian War broke out in July 1870.

The Second Vatican Council (Vatican II): It could be considered one of the most monumental events of the 20th century. St Pope John XXIII sensed that the Catholic Church needed an ‘updating’ in the fast-changing modern world. He announced the Second Vatican Council on January 25, 1959. In preparation for the Council in 1962, he prayed: ‘Renew Your wonders in this our day, as by a new Pentecost. Grant to Your Church that, being of one mind and steadfast in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and following the lead of blessed Peter, it may advance the reign of our Divine Savior, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen.’ 

The Council was opened by Pope John XXIII on October 11, 1962, and closed by Paul VI on December 8, 1965. A total of 2,881 bishops participated, with around 250 of them being native Africans and Asians (unlike previous councils with primarily European bishops). The Council produced sixteen magisterial documents. Vatican II touched every aspect of the Church. It clarified doctrine, reformed the liturgy, accentuated the role of laity, equipped the Church to face the modern world, enhanced dialogue with other churches and other religions, and endorsed the right to religious freedom. Unsurprisingly, certain aspects of the Council's teachings were misinterpreted by some, leading to confusion. Cardinal Timothy M Dolan makes this observation in his book Called to Be Holy: ‘The years immediately following the council were climactic times: a lot of good, creative, vibrant, promising movement in the Church, all prompted by the genuine call for reform by the council; but also, unfortunately, a lot of doubt, error, hurt, confusion, and downright silliness.’

But the Council still continues to bear good fruit. We can see many repercussions like increased appreciation for Scripture, the growth of numerous ecclesial movements, the rediscovery of the role of the laity, and the emphasis on holiness and mission in everyday life in an increasingly challenging world.

Part two of this article in the next issue of Kairos Global.

An agricultural officer in the Kerala Government Department of Agriculture, Rodney Pereira lives in Trivandrum, India with his wife Leema Pereira and their son Joshua.