WikiPortallus: Pope Paul VI.html

Pope Paul VI (Latin: Paulus PP. VI; Italian: Paolo VI), born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini (September 26, 1897 – August 6, 1978), reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978. Succeeding John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it and gave it priorities and direction. After the Council, Paul VI oversaw the interpretation and implementation of its decrees in a number of wide-ranging reforms. He traveled in all parts of the world and was the first pope to travel to the Holy Land since the Apostle Peter.

Early life

Giovanni Battista Montini was born in the village of Concesio, in the province of Brescia, Lombardy. His father Giorgio Montini was a lawyer, Journalist, director of the Catholic Action and member of the Italian Parlament. His mother was Giudetta Alghisi, coming from a familiy of rural nobility. He had two brothers, Francesco Montini, a later phycician and Lodovico Montini, a later lawyer and politician. ^[1] On September 30, 1897, he was baptized in the name of Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini.^[2] His education was interrupted by bouts of illness. In 1916, he entered the seminary to become a Roman Catholic priest. He was ordained priest on May 29, 1920 and celebrated his first Holy Mass in Concesio in the Church Madonna delle Gracie which is next to his parental house. ^[3] Montini concluded his studies in Milan with a doctorate in Canon Law in the same year ^[4]. Afterwards he studied at the Gregorian University, the University of Rome La Sapienza and, at the request of Giuseppe Pizzardo at the Accademia dei Nobili Ecclesiastici. At the age of twenty-five, again at the request of Giuseppe Pizzardo, Montini entered the Secretariat of State in 1922, where he worked under Pizzardo together with Francesco Borgongini-Duca, Alfredo Ottaviani Carlo Grano, Domenico Tardini and Francis Spellman from the USA. ^[5]

Vatican Career

Polish Nunciature

The only foreign diplomatic experience Montini underwent, was his time in the nunciature in Warsaw, Poland in 1923. Similar to Achille Ratti before him ^[6], he felt confronted with a huge problem, not limited to Poland, excessive nationalism: "This form of nationalism treats foreigners as enemies, especially foreigners with whom one has common frontiers. Then one seeks the expansion of ones own country at the expense of the immediate neighbours. People grow up with a feeling of hemmed in. Peace becomes a transient compromise between wars". ^[7] When he was recalled to Rome, he was happy to go, because, “this concludes this episode of my life,which has provided useful though not always joyful experiences”^[8] After his Polish mission, Giovanni Battista Montini returned to Rome, where soon he began to work in the Vatican. Later as Pope, he wanted to return to Poland on a Marian pilgrimage, but was not permitted by the Communist government, a request, which later on could not be denied to the native son John Paul II.

The Vatican, students and politics

After his return from Poland, Montini arrived in an Italy with an ascending Fascist Party in the making. He believed the best opposition was a strong faith: He who has faith, prepares for a better time A true Christian must convince in order to win. (Per vincere, deve convincere ) ^[9] Appointed as University chaplain in 1924 as spiritual and advisor to the Union of Catholic Students of Italy, he frequented Catholic youth organizations and Catholic student groupings, which he spiritually assisted with masses and sermons. He was one of the Vatican preates with a distinct anti-fascist record. ^[10] Traveling to Paris, he is said to have met with Jacques Maritain who at that time taught at the Institute Catholique. ^[11] During the Holy Year in 1925, he worked with Angelo Roncalli who was in charge of an exhibition of artifacts from Catholic missions, It was more edyfying than pleasurable, said Montini. ^[12] Apparently, Montini was not too happy in the Curia, which he found to be “incapable of dealing with ordinary life. ^[13] He was openly accused of politicizing the Catholic students and the Catholic Action movements and had to defend himself. ‎

In 1925, Montini was chaplain to the Catholic Student organization Federazione degli UniversitariCattolici Italiani (FUCI), when the Fascist government outlawed all political parties and groupings, leaving FUCI as a religious organization as the only non-fascist group in Italian universities. FUCI refused to accept members of the fascist party or allied student organizations.^[14] However, matters were more complicated for Montini as an employee of the Vatican State Department. The Vatican had negotiated the Lateran Treaty with Benito Mussolini. The treaty ended almost seventy years of proclaimed Papal exile.

Chaplain Montini gave theological lectures on the mystery of the Church, thus avoiding the trappings of politics. He was known to distribute theological books forbidden by the Church at that time.^[15] The Fascist press attacked him for politicking, but he was defended by the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano. On January 27, 1930, Montini had his first in-depth meeting with Eugenio Pacelli, his future boss and Pope Pius XII. In the same year, he wrote about Saint Augustine on the 1500th anniversary of his death, stating that the time had come to face a new barbarism.^[16] In 1933, he lost his position as chaplain, officially in the words of Pope Pius XI because Monsignore Montini has gifts destined to permit him to render services to the Church on a much higher level.^[17]

Pius XII

His organisational skills led him to a career in the Roman Curia, the papal civil service. In 1931, Pacelli appointed him to teach history at the Papal Academy for Diplomats ^[18] In 1937, after his mentor Giuseppe Pizzardo was named Cardinal and was succeeded by Domenico Tardini, Montini was named Substitute for Ordinary Affairs under Cardinal Pacelli, the Secretary of State under Pope Pius XI. From Pius XI, whom he viewed with awe, he adopted the view, that learning is a life long process, and that history was the magister vitae teacher of life ^[19] His immediate supervisor in the Vatican was Domenico Tardini, with whom he got along well. The election of Pacelli to the papacy in 1939, anticipated by everybody and openly promoted by the late Pope Pius XI in his last years, was a good omen for Montini, whose position was confirmed in the position under the new Secretary of State Luigi Maglione. He met the Pope every morning until 1954 and thus developed a rather close relation:

As war broke out, Maglione, Tardini and Montini were the main figures in the Vatican’s State Department, as despatches originated from or addressed to them during the war years. ^[21] Montini was several times openly attacked by the Italian government as a politician, and meddling in politics, but each time he found powerful defenses by the Vatican ^[22] In 1944, Maglione died, and Pius XII appointed Tardini and Montini together as heads of the State Department. Montini’s admiration was almost filial, when he described Pope Pius XII:

Archbishop of Milan

After the death of Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster in 1954, Montini was appointed to the most senior Italian church post of Archbishop of Milan, which made him automatically the speaker of the Italian Bishop Conference.^[25] Pope Pius XII presented the new Archbishop Giovanni Battista Montini as his personal gift to Milan. Both had tears in their eyes when Montini parted for his dioceses with 1000 churches, 2.500 priests and 3.500 000 souls. ^[26] He was consecrated in Saint Peter's Basilica by Cardinal Eugene Tisserant, the Dean of the College of Cardinals , since Pius XII was forced to stay in bed due to his severe illness. The Pope however, delivered the sermon about Giovanni Batista Montini from his sick-bed over radio to the many faithful assembled in St. Peter's on December 12, 1954. ^[27] On January 6, 1955, Montini formally took possession of his Cathedral of Milan.

Montini's philosophy

Pius XII who always wanted to be a pastor rather than a Vatican bureaucrat, gladly granted Montini this opportunity which was denied to him. Montini after a period of preparation, liked his new tasks as archbishop, connecting to all groups of faithful in Milan. He enjoyed meetings with intellectuals, artists and writers. ^[28] In his first months he showed his interest in working conditions and labour issues by personally contacting unions, associations and giving related speeches. Believing that churches are the only non-utilitarian buildings in modern society and a most necessary place of spiritual rest, he initiated over 100 new Church buildings for service and contemplation. ^[29] His public speeches were noticed not only in Milan but also in Rome and elsewhere. Some considered him a liberal, when he asked lay people to love not only Catholics but also schismatics, Protestants, Anglicans, the indifferent, Moslems, pagans, atheists. ^[30] Contrary to Church teachings from Pope Leo XIII (and later John Paul II and Benedict XVI) which regarded Anglican Clergy as unequal in light of their lack of apostolic succession, Archbishop Montini simply ignored this aspect altogether during a visit of Anglican clergy in Milan in 1957 and a subsequent exchange of letters with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher. ^[31]

He did not receive the traditional red hat of a cardinal during the remaining four years of Pius XII's life, which has occasioned comment. To be sure, Montini was not alone. Because there was no consistory after the severe illness of Pope Pius XII in 1954, several archbishops who could expect the honor (because of tradition and the importance of their archdiocese) did not get the red hat during Pius' reign. In addition to Montini, these included John Francis O'Hara of Philadelphia, Richard Cushing of Boston, Franz König of Vienna, Godfrey of Westminster, Antonio María Barbieri of Montevideo, Alfonso Castaldo of Naples and Paul Marie André Richaud of Bordeaux. Pope Pius XII revealed at the 1953 consistory that two churchmen, known to be Montini and Tardini, whom he did not name, were at the top of his list but turned it down.^[32] When Tardini, in the name of both of them, thanked him for not appointing him, Pius XII replied with a smile: 'Monsignore mio, you thank me, for not letting me do what I wanted to do'. I replied, 'yes Holy Father, I thank you for everything you have done for me, but even more, what you have not done for me'. The Pope smiled. ^[33] Montini and Angelo Roncalli were considered friends, but when John XXIII announced a new Ecumenical Council, Cardinal Montini reacted with disbelief: This old boy does not know, what a hornets nest he is stirring up. ^[34] He was appointed to the Central Preparatory Commission in 19612. During the Council, his friend Pope John XXIII asked him to live in the Vatican. He was a member of the Commission for Extraordinary Affairs but did not engage himself much into the floor debates on various issues. His main advisor was Monsignore Giovanni Colombo, whom he later appointed to be his successor in Milan^[35] The Commission was greatly overshadowed by the insistence of John XXIII, to have the Council complete all its work in one single session before Christmas 1962, to the 400th aniversary of the Council of Trent, an insistence which may have also been influenced by the Pope's recent knowledge that he had cancer. ^[36]

Pastoral progressivism

Montini went new ways in pastoral care, which he reformed. He used his authority to ensure that the liturgical reforms of Pius XII were actually carried out at the local level During his period in Milan, Montini was known as one of the more progressive members of the Catholic hierarchy. Montini used innovative methods to reach the people of the biggest Italian city, Milan: Huge posters announced that 1000 voices would speak to them from November 10 to November 24, 1957. More than 500 priests, a number of bishops, cardinals and lay persons delivered 7000 sermons in the period not only in churches but in factories, meeting halls, houses, court-yards, schools, offices, military barracks, hospitals, hotels and other places, where people meet. ^[37] His goal was the re-introduction of faith to a city without much religion. If only we can say Our Father and know what this means, then we would understand the Christian faith ^[38] Montini recognized that Western Europe had become mission country again and was not too optimistic about the outcome of this massive undertaking. But for all his dedication to regular working people, Montini was also a man of letters, favouring classic Italian writers like Alessandro Manzoni's I Promessi Sposi, which to him, was almost a gospel of Christianity.

Pius XII asked Archbishop Montini to Rome October 1957, where he gave the main presentation to the Second World Congress of Lay Apostolate. Previously as Pro-Secretary, he had worked hard to unify a world-wide organization of lay people of 58 nations, representing 42 national organizations. He presented to them to Pius XII in Rome in 1951. The second meeting in 1957 gave Montini an opportunity to express the lay apostolate in very modern terms: Apostolate means love. We will love all, but especially those, who need help. ..We will love our time, our technology, our art, our sports, our world. ^[39]

Cardinal

Although some cardinals seem to have viewed him as papabile (a person who might succeed Pope Pius), and although he seems to have received some votes in 1958^[40], Montini was not a member of the College of Cardinals and thus was not a serious candidate at that particular conclave.^[41] Instead Angelo Roncalli was elected pope and assumed the name Pope John XXIII. On November 17, 1958, less than three weeks after the election of the new pope, the L'Osservatore Romano announced a consistory for the creation of new cardinals. Montini's name topped the list. ^[42] The new pope raised Montini to the cardinalate in December 15, 1958. He appointed him simultaneously to several Vatican congregations which resulted in a number of visits by Montini to Rome in the coming years. ^[43] As Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Montini participated now in the government of the whole Church, which resulted in journeys to Africa (1962), where he visited Ghana, Sudan, Kenia, Congo Rhodesia South Africa, and Nigeria. Later, he was to be the first pope to have visited Africa. After his journey, John XXIII gave him a private audience on his trip which lasted for hours. In fifteen other trips he visited Brazil(1960) and the USA (1960), including New York, Washington, Chicago, Notre Dame University in Indiana, Boston Philadelphia and Baltimore. The cardinal spent his vacations usually in a reclusive Benedictine monastery Engelberg Abbey in Switzerland. ^[44]

Papacy

Montini was generally seen as the most likely successor to Pope John because of his closeness to Pius XII and John XXIII and his unrivaled insight and determination; ^[45] John, a newcomer to the Vatican at age 77, may have felt outflanked by the professional Vatican Curia at times, Montini knew its most inner workings rather well. ^[46] Unlike the cardinals from Bologna and Genua, he was not identified with either the left or right, nor was he seen as a radical reformer. He was viewed as most likely to continue the Second Vatican Council, ^[47] which already, without any tangible results, had lasted longer than anticipated by Pope John, who had a vision but did not have a clear agenda. ´His rethoric seems to have had a note of over-optimism, a confidence in progress, which was characteristic of the 1960s. ^[48] When the beloved John died of stomach cancer on June 3, 1963, Montini was elected to the papacy in the following conclave and took the name Paul VI.

Completion of the Vatican Council

Paul VI decided to continue Vatican II (canon law dictates that a council is suspended at the death of a pope), and brought it to completion in 1965. Faced with conflicting interpretations and controversies, he directed the implementation of its reform goals, which included the largest revision to the Church's Liturgy since the Council of Trent (held 400 years prior to Vatican II), until his death in 1978.

Ecumenical orientation

During the Second Vatican Council, the Council Fathers avoided statements which might anger Christians of other faiths. ^[49] Cardinal Augustin Bea, the President of the Christian Unity Secretariat had always the full support of Paul VI in his attempts to ensure that the Council language is friendly and open to the sensitivities of Protestant and Orthodox Churches, whom he had invited to all sessions at the request of Pope John XXIII. Bea also was stronly involved in the passage of Nostra Aetate, which regulates relation of the Church with the Jewish faith and members of other religions ^[50]

Dialogue with the world

After his election as Bishop of Rome, Paul VI first met with the priests in his new dioceses. He told them that in Milan he started a dialogue with the modern world and asked them to seek contact with all people from all walks of life. Six days after his election he announced that he would continue Vatican II and convened the opening to take place on September 29, 1963.^[51] In a radio address to the world, Paul VI recalled the uniqueness of predecessors, the strength of Pius XI, the wisdom and intelligence of Pius XII and the love of John XXIII. As his pontifical goals he mentioned the continuation and completion of Vatican Two, the reform of the Canon Law and improved social peace and justice in the world. The Unity of Christianity would be central to his activities. ^[52]

Council Priorities of Paul VI

He reminded the council fathers that only a few years earlier, Pope Pius XII had issued the encyclical Mystici Corporis about the mystical body of Christ. He asked them not to repeat or create new dogmatic definitions but to explain in simple words, how the Church sees itself. He thanked the representatives of other Christian communities for their attendance and asked for their forgiveness if the Catholic Church is guilty for the separation. He also reminded the Council Fathers, that a number of bishops from the east could not attend because the governments in the East did not permit their journeys. ^[54] The Council discussed the texts on the Church, ecumenicism and liturgy. He told the assembled fathers, that he intended to visit the Holy Land, where no other pope had been since Peter.

Third and Fourth Sessions

Paul VI opened the third period on September 14, 1964, telling the Council Fathers, that he viewed the text about the Church as the most important document to come out from the Council. As the Council discussed the role of bishops in relation to the Pope, Paul VI issued an explanatory note, which confirmed the primacy of the papacy, a step which was viewed by some as meddling in the affairs of the Council ^[55] American bishops pushed for a speedy resolution on religious freedom, but Paul VI insisted this to be approved together with related texts such has ecumenicism. ^[56] The Pope concluded the session on November 21, 1964, 1963 with the formal pronouncement of Mary as Mother of the Church. ^[57]

Between the third and fourth sessions, the Pope announced reforms in the areas of Roman Curia, revision of Canon Law, regulations for mixed marriages involving several faiths, and birth control issues. He opened the final session of the council, concelebrating with bishops from countries, where the Church was persecuted. Several texts proposed for his approval had to be changed. But all texts were finally agreed upon. The Council was concluded on December 8, 1965, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.^[58]

Church reforms

Synod of Bishops

On September 14, 1965 he established the Synod of Bishops as an permanent institution of the Church and an advisory body to the papacy. Several meetings were held on specific issues during his pontificate, such as the Synod of Bishops on evangelization in the modern world , which started September 9, 1974. ^[59]

Curia Reform

Pope Paul VI knew the Roman Curia rather well, having worked here for a generation from 1922-1954. He reformed in not all at once but in stages. On March 1, 1968, he issued a regulations, a process which had been initiated by Pius XII and continued by John XXIII. On March 28, with Pontificalis Domus,and in several additional Apostolic Constitutions in the following years, he revamped the entire Curia, which included reduction of bureaucracy, streamlining of existing congregations and a broader representation of non-Italians in the curial positions. ^[60]

Papal elections

Paul VI revolutionized papal elections by ordering that in future conclaves, only cardinals below the age of eighty may participate. He further invited in Ecclesiae Sanctae, all bishops to offer their retirement to the pontiff starting August 6, 1966. This requirement was extended to all Cardinals of the Catholic Church on November 21, 1970. With these two stipulations, the Pope was able to fill several positions with younger bishops and cardinals and further internationalize the Roman Curia in light of several resignations due to age.^[61]

Mass of Paul VI

Relations and dialogues

To Paul VI, a dialogue with all of humanity was essential not as an aim in itself but as a means to find the truth. Dialogue according to Paul, is based on full equality of all participants. This equality is rooted in the common search for the truth ^[62] Paul said: Those who have the truth, are in a position as not having it, because they are forced to search for it every day in a deeper and more perfect way. Those who do not have it, but search for it with their whole heart, have already found it. ^[63]

Dialogues

In 1964, Paul VI created a Secretariat for non-Christian religions, renamed the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and a year later a new Secretariat for Non-Christian Believers, later renamed the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. In 1971, he created a papal office for economic development and catastrophic assistance. To foster common bonds with all persons of good will, he decreed an annual peace day to be celebrated on January first of every year. Trying to improve the condition of Christians behind the Iron Curtain, Paul engaged in dialogue with Communist authorities at several levels, receiving Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and USSR President Nikolai Podgorny in 1966 and 1967 in the Vatican. The situation of the Church in Poland, Hungary, Romania, improved somewhat during his pontificate. ^[64]

The Pilgrim Pope

Pope Paul VI became the first pope to visit six continents, and was the most travelled pope in history to that time, earning the nickname the Pilgrim Pope. With his travels he opened new avenues for the papacy, which were continued by his successors John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He traveled to the Holy Land in 1964, to the Euchasistic Congresses on Bombay, India and Bogota, Colombia. fifty years after the first apperation he visited Fatima in 1967. He undertook a pastoral vsit to Africa in 1969. In 1970 he was the target of an assassination attempt at Manila International Airport in the Philippines.^[65] The assailant was subdued.^[65] On the Pope's first visit to the United States in October 1965, Paul in the middle of the Vietnam War, pleaded for peace before the United Nations.

New diplomacy

Like his predecessor Pius XII, Paul put much emphasis on the dialogue with all nations of the world through establishing diplomatic relations. The number of foreign embassies accredited to the Vatican doubbled during his pontificate. ^[67] This was a reflection of a new understanding between Church and State, which had been formulated first by Pius XI and Pius XII but decreed by Vatican II. The pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes stated that the Catholic Church is not bound to any form of government and willing to cooperate with all forms. The Church maintained its right to select bishops on its own without any interference by the State. ^[68]

Theology

Mariology

Pope Paul VI made extensive contributions to mariology (theological teaching and devotions) during his pontificate. He attempted to present the Marian teachings of the Church in view of her new ecumenical orientation. In his inaugural encyclical Ecclesiam Suam (section below), the Pope called Mary the ideal of Christian perfection. He regards “devotion to the Mother of God as of paramount importance in living the life of the Gospel.” ^[69] In 1965, he writes that the Queen of Heaven is entrusted by God, as administrator of his compassion ^[70] In his 1966 encyclical Christi Matri, he recommends the rosary in light of the war in Vietnam and the dangers of atomic conflicts. The rosary is a summary of gospel teaching. ^[71] In 1967 he pilgrimaged to Fatima. His new Missal includes all new Marian prayers. And in his 1974 exhortation Marialis Cultus, he again promotes Marian devotions, highlighting the Angelus and Rosary prayers. Mary deserves the devotions because she is the mother of graces and because of her unique role in redemption. ^[72]

Encyclicals

Ecclesiam Suam was given at St. Peter's, Rome, on the Feast of the Transfiguration, 6 August 1964, the second year of his Pontificate. It is considered an important document, which identified the Catholic Church with the Body of Christ. A later Council document Lumen Gentium stated that the Church subsists in the Body of Christ, raising questions as to the difference between is and subsists in. Paul VI appeals+ed to all people of good will and discussed necessary dialogues within the Church and between the Churches and with atheism.^[73]

On September 3, 1965, Paul VI issued Mysterium Fidei, on the mystery of the faith. He opposed relativistic notions, which would have given the eucharist a symbolic character only. The Church, so Paul VI, has no reason, to give up the deposit of faith in such a vital matter. ^[74]

Sacerdotalis Caelibatus (Latin for "Of the celibate priesthood"), promulgated on 24 June 1967, defends the Catholic Church's tradition of priestly celibacy in the West. This encyclical was written in the wake of Vatican II, when the Catholic Church was questioning and revising many long-held practices. Priestly celibacy is considered a discipline rather than dogma, and some at the time had expected that it might be relaxed. In response to these questions, the Pope reaffirms the discipline as a long-held practice with special importance in the Catholic Church. The encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus from June 24, 1967, confirms the traditional Church teaching, that celibacy is an ideal state and continues to be mandatory for Roman Catholic priests. Celibacy symbolizes the reality of the kingdom of God in the midst of modern society. The priestly celibacy is closely linked to the nature of the sacramental priesthood. ^[75] However, during his pontificate, Paul VI was considered generous in permitting bishops to grant laization of priests, who wanted to leave the sacerdotal state, a position which was drastically reversed by John Paul II in 1980 and cemented in the 1983 Canon Law that only the pope himself can in exeptional circumstances grant laization.

Populorum progressio, released on 26 March 1967, dealt with the topic of "the development of peoples" and that the economy of the world should serve mankind and not just the few. It touches on a variety of traditional principles of Catholic social teaching: the right to a just wage; the right to security of employment; the right to fair and reasonable working conditions; the right to join a union and strike as a last resort; and the universal destination of resources and goods.

In addition, Populorum Progressio opines, that real peace in the world is conditional on justice. He repeats his demands expressed in Bombay in 1964 for a large scale World Development Organization, as a matter of international justice and peace. He rejected notions to instigate revolution and force in changing economic conditions. ^[76]

Of his eight encyclicals, Pope Paul VI is best known for his encyclical Humanæ Vitæ (Of Human Life, subtitled On the Regulation of Birth), published on July 25, 1968. In this encyclical he reaffirmed the Catholic Church's traditional condemnation of artificial birth control.

A commission composed of bishops, theologians and laity had been established by John XXIII for the purpose of reviewing the teaching on birth control. In the furor surrounding the publication of the encyclical, stories appeared in the press that it was the commission's majority recommendation that the Church relax its stance on contraception. The Pope chose to discount the so-called "Majority Report" when he promulgated Humanæ Vitæ. This version of events was challenged in an interview in 2003 with the Catholic news agency Zenit, by the natural lawyer and moral theologian Germain Grisez:

The reaction to the encyclical was very mixed. In Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland, the encyclical was welcomed.^[78] In Latin America, much support developed for the Pope and his encyclical. As World Bank President Robert McNamara declared at the 1968 Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group that countries permitting birth control practices will get preferential access to resources, doctors in La Paz, Bolivia, called it insulting that money should be exchanged for the conscience of a Catholic nation. In Colombia, Cardinal archbishop Anibal Muñoz Duque declared, if American conditionality undermines Papal teachings, we prefer not to receive one cent.^[79] The Senate of Bolivia passed a resolution, stating that Humanæ Vitæ can be discussed in its implications on individual consciences, but, it is of greatest significance, because the papal document defends the rights of developing nations to determine their own population policies.^[80] The Jesuit Journal Sic dedicated one edition to the encyclical with supportive contributions.^[81]

Pope Paul was concerned, but not surprised, by the negative reaction in Western Europe and the United States. He fully anticipated this reaction to be a temporary one: "Don't be afraid," he reportedly told Edouard Gagnon on the eve of the encyclical, "in twenty years time they'll call me a prophet." ^[82] His biography on the Vatican's website notes of his reaffirmations of priestly celibacy and the traditional teaching on contraception that "[t]he controversies over these two pronouncements tended to overshadow the last years of his pontificate".^[83] Pope John Paul II later reaffirmed and expanded upon Humanæ Vitæ with the encyclical Evangelium Vitae, and, Pope Benedict XVI issued in 2005 a short version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which also repeat the teachings of the Church on this matter.

Ecumenical relations

After the Council Paul VI contributed in two ways to the continued growth of ecumenical dialogue. The separated brothers and sisters, as he called them, were not able to contribute to the Council as invited observers. After the Council, many of them took initiative to seek out their Catholic counterparts and the Pope in Rome, who welcomed such visits. But the Catholic Church itself recognized from the many previous ecumenical encounters, that much needed to be done within, in order to be an open partner for ecumenicism. ^[84] To those who is entrusted the highest and deepest truth and therefore, so Paul VI, have the most difficult part to communicate. Ecumenical dialogue in the view of Paul VI requires from a Catholic the whole person, his whole reason and will and his totally open heart. ^[85] Paul VI, like Pius XII before him, detested giving in on the lowest possible denominator, and yet, he felt compelled to admit his ardent desire to be everything to everybody and to help all people ^[86] Being the successor of Peter, he felt the words of Christ, Do you love me more like a sharp knife penetrating to the marrow of his spine. These words meant to Paul VI love without limits ^[87] and are seen as the basis for his atttudes towards ecumenicism.

Orthodox

Paul VI visited the Orthodox Patriarchs of Jerusalem and Constantinople in 1964 and 1967. He was the first pope since the ninth century to visit the East, labeling the Eastern Churches as sister Churches. ^[88] He was also the first pope in centuries to meet the heads of various Eastern Orthodox faiths. Notably, his meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I in 1964 in Jerusalem led to rescinding the excommunications of the Great Schism, which took place in 1054.

This was a significant step towards restoring communion between Rome and Constantinople. It produced the Catholic-Orthodox Joint declaration of 1965, which was read out on December 7, 1965, simultaneously at a public meeting of the Second Vatican Council in Rome and at a special ceremony in Istanbul. The declaration did not end the schism, but showed a desire for greater reconciliation between the two churches, represented by Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I. ^[89] In May 1973, the Coptic Patriarch Shenouda III of Alexandria visited the Vatican, where he met three times with Pope Paul VI. A common declaration and a joint Creed issued at the conclusion of the visit demonstrated that there are virtually no more theological discrepancies between the Coptic and Roman Catholic Churches. ^[90]

Anglicans

Pope Paul also became the first pope to receive an Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey in official audience as Head of Church , after the private audience visit of Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher to Pope John XXIII on December 2, 1960.^[91] Ramsey met Paul VI three times during his visit and opened the Anglican Center in Rome with the purpose of increasing their mutual knowledge.^[92] He praised Paul VI^[93] and his contributions in the service of unity.^[94] Paul replied that by entering into our house, you are entering your own house, we are happy to open our door and heart to you ^[95] The two Church leaders signed a common declaration, which put an end to the disputes of the past and outlined a common agenda for the future. Cardinal Augustin Bea, the head of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity added at the end of the visit, Let us move forward in Christ. God wants it. Humanity is waiting for it.^[96] Unmoved by a harsh condemnation by the Congregation of Faith on mixed marriages precisely at this time of the visit, Paul VI and Ramsey appointed a preparatory commission which was to put the common agenda into practice on such issues as mixed marriages. This resulted in a joint Malta declaration, the first ever joint agreement on the Creed since the reformation.^[97] Paul VI was a good friend of the Anglican Church, which he described as "our beloved sister Church", a description not allowed later by John Paul II. In Dominus Jesus and Benedict XVI.^[98] denied Church character to Anglican and Protestant churches because of an absence of apostolic succession.

Protestants

Consistories

Pope Paul VI held six consistories between 1965–1977 that raised 143 men to the cardinalate in his fifteen years as pope. They were held on:

Up to and including the current Pope Benedict XVI, all of Pope Paul's successors were created cardinals by him. His immediate successor, Albino Cardinal Luciani, who took the name John Paul I, was created a cardinal in the consistory of March 5, 1973. After John Paul I's 33 day reign, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, created a cardinal in the consistory of June 26, 1967, took the name John Paul II. After the second-longest Papal reign in history, John Paul II died on April 2, 2005. On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to the papacy and took the name Benedict XVI. Ratzinger was created a cardinal in the small four-appointment consistory of June 27, 1977, which ended up being Paul VI's last consistory before his death in August 1978.

Final months and death

Pope Paul VI left the Vatican to go to the Papal summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, for the final time on July 14, 1978, uncertain of whether he would return. While Mass was being said for him near his bedside during the afternoon of August 6, the feast of the Transfiguration, he became agitated, but managed to receive Holy Communion one last time. He soon fell into unconsciousness for four hours and died soon after. The agitation had been a heart attack. Paul VI is buried beneath the floor of Saint Peter's Basilica with the other popes. In his will, he requested to be buried in the "true earth" and therefore, he does not have an ornate sarcophagus but an in-ground grave, according to his wishes. ^[99]

Cause for Beatification

Legacy and controversies

Pope Paul VI faced criticism throughout his papacy from both traditionalists and liberals. Traditionalists reviled him for his implementation of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, especially his substantial revision of the Mass. He angered liberals with the encyclical Humanae Vitae, which reaffirmed the Church's ban on artificial contraception.

Paul VI renounced many traditional symbols of the papacy and the Catholic Church. In 1963, Pope Paul VI, in a dramatic gesture, removed the Papal tiara from his head and placed it on the altar of Saint Peter's Basilica. Many Traditionalist Catholics viewed this as a symbolic renunciation of the papacy itself. Neither Paul VI nor any of his successors have worn the Papal tiara since. Paul VI abolished the Papal High Mass, the Papal Court, and many of the ceremonies and vestments associated with the papacy including not only the Papal tiara, but also the Sedia gestatoria and the flabella. He discontinued many of the features of traditional Papal dress including the mantum, Episcopal gloves, and Papal slippers. His drastic alterations of Papal dress and liturgy remain controversial. Some of the changes Paul VI made to the Papal dress were reversed by Pope Benedict XVI in the early 21st century.

Some critics point to Paul's response to Archbishop Lefebvre, who challenged papal authority by refusing to accept the New Mass and liturgical reforms produced after Vatican II.^{citation needed} The pope summoned Lefebvre to meetings in which he argued with Lefebvre and showed his great frustration, but he did not excommunicate Lefebvre, as many had expected. Lefebvre was eventually excommunicated automatically (latae sententiae) for his illicit episcopal ordinations in 1988 during the reign of Pope John Paul II.

According to some critics, Pope Paul VI was habitually indecisive. For example he appeared unable to decide how to deal with the scandal-ridden American Cardinal Cody, who was surrounded by allegations of financial and sexual impropriety. Cody even invited his female 'friend' to pose in a picture with him and Pope Paul taken when Cody was being awarded the red hat. Paul changed his mind over whether to remove Cody, on one occasion contacting a Vatican official at Rome Airport, whom he had sent to inform Cody of his dismissal, and telling him to return as he had changed his mind. Cody remained in office until his death.

The pope's response to the critics of Humanae Vitae is also cited as an example of indecisiveness. When Cardinal O'Boyle, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., disciplined several priests for publicly dissenting from this teaching, the pope gave him encouragement. But when other bishops did nothing to quell dissent, the pope raised no objection. And when bishops in Canada, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands were lukewarm in their support or even publicly expressed reservations about this teaching, the pope did not discipline them in any way.

Some of Pope Paul's statements in the 1970s seemed critical of the direction taken by the Church after Vatican II, expressing his dislike of some of the "pedestrian" language used in some translations of the New Mass. But he did not generally indicate such unhappiness in his public statements. He did oppose Liberation theology after the 1962–65 Vatican Council, frowning on the CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Conference) support to it.

According to some sources, as Paul became older he spoke of abdicating the papal throne and going into retirement. Some critics see this as another example of indecision, as he remained in the papacy until his death.

It is rumored that Pope John XXIII referred to then-Cardinal Montini as "Our Hamlet" (Amleto), in reference to his indecisiveness. The private secretaries of both popes have denied that John ever made such a statement. Pope Paul himself reflected that description of himself in a private note written in 1978. He asked:

Encyclicals

Pope Paul VI.html

Contents

Early life

Vatican Career

Polish Nunciature

The Vatican, students and politics

Pius XII

Archbishop of Milan

Montini's philosophy

Pastoral progressivism

Cardinal

Papacy

Completion of the Vatican Council

Ecumenical orientation

Dialogue with the world

Council Priorities of Paul VI

Third and Fourth Sessions

Church reforms

Synod of Bishops

Curia Reform

Papal elections

Mass of Paul VI

Relations and dialogues

Dialogues

The Pilgrim Pope

New diplomacy

Theology

Mariology

Encyclicals

Ecumenical relations

Orthodox

Anglicans

Protestants

Consistories

Final months and death

Cause for Beatification

Legacy and controversies

Encyclicals

See also

References

Quotes