Church Unity Rounds a Corner

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Maurice Timothy Reidy

From the August 4, 1962 issue of America by Robert A. Graham, S.J.:

Historians of the ecumenical movement will probably put down July 5, 1962, as a notable date in the development of Catholic-Protestant rapprochement. On this day, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Arthur Michael Ramsey, announced that the world-wide Anglican Communion, of which he is the spokesman, would be represented at the Second Vatican Council by three delegate-observers.

Within a few days, spokesmen for similar non-Catholic communities announced that they, too, would send observers or were on the point of making an official favorable decision. While the significance of these successive announcements should not be exaggerated, they are a measure of the state of mind on both sides. Continue reading →

The Council’s Momentum

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Maurice Timothy Reidy

From the July 21,1962 issue of America:

How will historians judge the preparatory phase of the Second Vatican Council? Three and a half years have gone by since Pope John startled the world on Jan. 25, 1959, with his plan to convoke an ecumenical council. Now the opening date of Oct. 11, 1962, is less than three months away. If the verdict of history cannot be made at this time, it is possible to review the immediate accomplishments of the preparatory period, to speculate on the long-range impact of some events now ineradicably recorded in the life of the Church, and to spell out our duties in the brief span before the council assembles. Continue reading →