8.62. Isn’t it good that the Church adopted new ways of thinking—like personalism and phenomenology—to better connect with the modern world?
Vatican II did not just change the liturgy or the language of doctrine. It changed the very way of thinking behind theology. For centuries, the Catholic Church taught and defended the realist philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, rooted in objective truth, the immutability of God, and the knowability of nature and revelation.
But Vatican II replaced Thomistic realism with Modernist philosophies such as phenomenology (from Husserl) and personalism (from Scheler and Mounier). These subjectivist systems prioritize personal experience, consciousness, and historical becoming over unchanging metaphysical truths. The result is a theology that constantly evolves—no longer grounded in the eternal truths of God, but in the shifting experiences of man.
Below is a comparison showing how this philosophical revolution is at the heart of Vatican II’s apostasy.
| Category | Thomistic Realism (Catholic Philosophy) | Phenomenology / Personalism (Vatican II) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truth | Objective, universal, and rooted in the conformity of the intellect to reality (*adaequatio rei et intellectus*) | Subjective, relational, and rooted in personal experience or intersubjectivity | This shift opens the door to doctrinal evolution and theological relativism |
| Being (Metaphysics) | Being is real, hierarchical, and knowable; grounded in God as actus purus | Focus on experience, consciousness, and phenomenological appearance | Rejects metaphysical certainty and the analogy of being |
| Human Person | Defined by nature: a rational animal made in the image of God | Defined by subjectivity, freedom, and self-realization | Exalts human dignity while minimizing sin, concupiscence, and original guilt |
| Knowledge of God | God is knowable by reason and grace through analogical terms | God is primarily encountered in experience, not defined conceptually | Undermines dogmatic theology in favor of mysticism and ambiguity |
| Morality | Based on natural law, objective norms, and divine command | Grounded in conscience, authenticity, and “discernment” | This shift leads to moral subjectivism (e.g., Amoris Laetitia, “accompaniment”) |
| Language | Precise, technical terms derived from Scholastic theology | Vague, emotional, poetic, or existential terms (e.g., “encounter,” “mystery,” “journey”) | Vatican II’s ambiguous language is a fruit of Modernist philosophy |
| Doctrinal Development | Doctrines are immutable truths, deepened but never contradicted | Doctrines evolve as human understanding matures historically | This is Modernism condemned in *Pascendi* and *Lamentabili Sane* |
| Theology | Faith seeks understanding (*fides quaerens intellectum*), built on revealed and metaphysical truths | Theology as “reflection on lived experience” and existential concerns | The new theology subjects dogma to personal and cultural reinterpretation |
| Faith and Reason | Faith is above reason, but never contradicts it; both are harmonized | Faith is independent of dogma; focused on subjective commitment | Undermines the harmony of faith and reason defined by Vatican I |
| Fruits | Clear doctrine, consistent liturgy, moral order, missionary zeal | Doctrinal ambiguity, liturgical experimentation, moral confusion | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
The theology of Vatican II is not grounded in the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, as commanded by Leo XIII, St. Pius X, and Pius XII. Instead, it flows from the subjectivist philosophies of phenomenology and personalism, which reject objective truth in favor of experience, relationship, and “dialogue.”
This explains:
Why Vatican II uses vague and emotional language,
Why doctrine is treated as “developing,”
Why conscience is exalted over truth,
And why the “Church” is seen as evolving with history.
As Pope St. Pius X warned:
“Modernists... pervert the eternal concept of truth... and place it in the individual consciousness.”
Faithful Catholics must return to the objective Thomistic foundation that safeguards the unchanging Catholic Faith—and reject the Modernist errors embedded in Vatican II theology.