Volume 34 of The Council Notebooks, written by journalist Ignazio Ingrao, addresses the delicate issue of the Church’s dialogue with today’s society and the progress it pursues. The history of recent years has undermined faith in progress. In place of this deceptive prophecy, Christians are called to place hope at the center, because it is neither science nor progress that redeems humanity, but love.
Extraordinarily relevant today
Ingrao revisits the final part of Gaudium et Spes, which sounds extraordinarily relevant today. It discusses peace, the duty to avoid war, stopping the arms race, the role of international organizations, a new world order, developing countries, and the task of Christians in what Pope Francis today calls an “epochal change.”
An epochal change
The Second Vatican Council also took place in the midst of an epochal change: the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and nuclear deterrence, decolonization, the Non-Aligned Movement, the development of the European Economic Community and the Council of Europe…
Today, in the midst of a conflict at the heart of Europe, with a third world war fought in fragments across many countries around the world, and facing the dramatic effects of climate change, we find ourselves in the midst of an epochal change just as complex as that of sixty years ago. And perhaps even more dramatic. Therefore, when rereading the pages of Gaudium et Spes, we find a profound harmony: pages that suggest answers, paths for reflection, and ethical and theological guidance for responding to today’s questions.
The myth of progress has collapsed
The Church already recognized then how illusory the myth of progress was and recalled the «duty of universal charity, that is, the promotion of a more humane world for all».
Today we can say that the veil has truly been lifted from our eyes: we have realized how deceitful the prophecy of unstoppable and limitless progress was. The pandemic confronted us with our fragility. The global conflict fought in Ukraine, Syria, and many other parts of the world has set us back decades: the peace achievements that seemed stable, at least in some areas of the world, the relief brought by the end of the Cold War, and the key role of international organizations have shattered before our eyes.
The economic and food crisis, the shortage of raw materials, and soaring prices increase inequality and widen the gap of poverty. Not to mention climate change and the effects of global warming, concern about which was also expressed by Pope Francis in his very recent Apostolic Exhortation “Laudate Deum”.
A vision of hope
In place of an insubstantial faith in progress, Christians are called to place Christian hope at the center. It is neither science nor progress that redeems humanity: people are redeemed by love. Therefore, those who do not know God, although they may have many hopes, are ultimately without the great hope that sustains all of life. But let us be clear, hope that forgets and neglects others is not true hope. Christian hope is founded on the event of Christ’s resurrection and opens up another perspective for understanding history, broadening our gaze to the things of heaven.
The Council presented dialogue as the principal instrument and distinctive style of the Church’s relationship with the contemporary world. This is a difficult task, requiring the shared commitment of all believers who desire a more fraternal and supportive common home. It is only through dialogue, understanding, and the spread of a culture of tolerance and acceptance of others that a just coexistence among people can emerge and a world capable of hope can be born each day.
