The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1962-10-05

Gil of the Church - the Sec
ond Vatican Council - opens
In Rome Thursday, Oct. II.
o M 1900 bishops, a
host of advisors, and dele
gate-observers from almost
every major religious body
in the world will be on hand.
This will be only the 21st
general session in the 2,000-
year history of the Church.
The last previous one - the
First Vatican Council - was
convened to define papal in
fallibiiity almost a century
ago.
1t will also be the first
Council not called to meet a
direct threat to the Church.
Reform - in the sense of
renewal = will almost GER
tainly be the keynote of the
current Council, according to
most observers.
AMONG THE many topics
to be considered will be the
role of the layman in the
Church, the authority of
bishops, liturgy and the
vernacular, and the reunion
of Christianity.
However. a Dutch Cardinal
has warned Catholics not to
expect Sensational news or
spectacular decisions on any
of these questions.
Leo Cardinal Suenens,
archbishop of Malines-B rus-
sells, said Tuesday that it will
take years before the Coun-
ellis results materialize.
About 800 US. archbish-
ops and bishops will be pres
eilt for the initial session.
AT LEAST 10 others will
remain at home because of
illness. A few auxiliaries, in
Guiding Edward Hettinger of
Columbus, have been excus-
ed to guide diocesan affairs.
Council Fathers (bishops)
face a heavy schedule dur
ing the meetings. first few
weeks.
Opening ceremonies will
take place Oct. II. The Faith
ers will actually start work
net 13.
THE FIRST order of bust
ness will be the election of
members of the 10 commits
sions of the council. Each
commission will have "a
members, eight of whom will
be named by Pope John
XIII while the remaining
Is will be chosen by MEM
berS of the council.
This means that $50 MEM
bers of commissions will be
elected by direct ballot by
more than $500 voters.
The agenda allows four
general meetings for this
task, to be held on Oct. 10,
16, Is and 20. The interven-
ing days will be used to count
the votes of the Fathers,
which will number more than
100000 by the time all the
commission members are Sc
lected.
From Oct. % to 81, gen.
eral meetings will be held
daily except on Thursdays
and Sundays. The general
meetings - or congregations
= in which matters before
the council are to be debated
will begin at 9 am.
Except for the ceremonies
on the councils opening and
closing days, the Fathers will
not enter st. Peters basilica
in procession, but will go to
their places directly.
MASS WILL be offered
daily by a cardinal. The
Gospels will be enthroned on
a special stand. Ritual pray
ers will be recited, the hymn
to the Holy Ghost, Veni
Creator Spiritus, will be
chanted and then the work
of the session will begin.
The closing session of the
council will be similar to the
opening one, but instead of
the Mass of the Holy Ghost
a Mass of thanksgiving will
be offered, followed by an
address by the Pope. The
papal bull closing the council
will be read and the Faith
ers will be authorized to re-
turn to their dioceses.
The council will be con-
cluded by the chanting of
the TIE Deum and the bless
ing of the Pope, after which
I WV In hold