3.2. What is Vatican II? Who called it, and why?

Vatican II was the “Second” Vatican Council, convoked by John XXIII in 1962 and concluded by Paul VI in 1965. Unlike all previous councils, it was declared to be a “pastoral” council, not called to combat heresy or define dogma, but to “open the Church to the modern world.”

It produced no solemn definitions and claimed to avoid using the Church’s infallibility. Its purpose was “aggiornamento” (updating), a break from the defensive stance of previous councils. However, this vague, pastoral approach allowed ambiguity and novelty to enter into Church teaching, discipline, and liturgy.