Emmanuel
FROM THE EDITOR
Many Catholics say that they love Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, best of all the
documents of the Second Vatican Council. No less than Pope John
Paul II said in a 1995 address marking the 30th anniversary of its
promulgation: “I must confess that Gaudium et Spes is particularly dear
to me, not only because of the themes it develops, but also because of
the direct participation that was allowed to me for its elaboration.”
There is something unmistakably appealing about Gaudium et Spes:
its expansive vision of the church, its reengagement with a world long
viewed as hostile to authentic faith, its recognition of the good found
in society, its openness to certain movements and “signs of the times”
as indicators of divine guidance, etc.
In his address, the Holy Father commented on the many changes
in the world since the pastoral constitution’s appearance: “The cold
war is ended, science and technology have made unprecedented
progresses: from flight into space and the landing on the moon,
from heart transplants to genetic engineering, from cybernetics to
robotics, from telecommunications to the most advanced telematic
technologies. To the factors of change connected to urbanization and
industrialization, the incredible increase of the mass media has added
to this, they will always have greater influence on the daily lives of
people in every part of the world.”
Other positive developments have occurred in the decades since Pope
John Paul spoke: the rise of instantaneous communication and the
internet, Smartphones, social media, microsurgery, and many others.
But the world has also witnessed unsettling realities: cultural wars,
tribalism, radical fundamentalism, terrorism, the loss of privacy, the
erosion of human rights, and a growing divide between the “haves”
and the “have-nots.”
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