Information for
Quick links
Faculties
The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
It was a special moment for Urszula Pękala and her fellow researchers from around the world: 60 years after the end of the Second Vatican Council, they presented Pope Leo XIV in Rome with the volumes of a commentary on this event that had been published to date. For a decade, international experts in history, church history and theology have been researching this last assembly of the universal church to date.
'The Second Vatican Council was the most significant event in the recent history of the Catholic Church. It initiated far-reaching reforms and also took up existing initiatives,' explains Urszula Pękala. The Polish-born theologian has been teaching and researching at the Saarbrücken campus since 2022 and held a professorship here prior to her appointment. The Council lasted from 1962 to 1965. 'After the experience of two world wars, during the Cold War and the collapse of colonial empires, the Church was to become a dialogue partner for the modern world – for issues that affect all people regardless of their worldview: human dignity, religious freedom, peace, political, societal and social upheavals,' explains the church historian.
One result of the Council that was immediately noticeable to the faithful was the liturgical reform: from then on, priests were allowed to celebrate Mass in their native language instead of in Latin with their backs to the congregation, as had been the case previously. Lay people were able to participate more actively in church life. Religious freedom was recognised, as were other religious communities. 'Open ecumenical and interreligious dialogue was initiated and promoted, especially Christian-Jewish relations,' says Urszula Pękala.
Since 2016, researchers have been investigating the significance of the Council for the universal Church and examining its background and subsequent impact from the perspective of various disciplines. They are compiling a twelve-volume commentary on the Second Vatican Council, as the Council is also known, from a universal Church-theological perspective. The impetus for the project came from academia, and the research is being funded by a variety of sources, including the German Research Foundation. All volumes are scheduled to be published by 2027.
'There is no single reception of the Council, i.e. no single process by which the decisions were received, interpreted and implemented after the end of the Council. Rather, Council research is a huge, diverse field. That is why we are looking at the Council and its effects on all continents in this global project,' says Pękala. The theologian is a member of the 15-person scientific editorial board of the Gesamtkommentar. She is also jointly responsible for the volume on the continent of Europe. 'Working on this major project is an exchange across borders,' says Pękala. Five continental groups are involved: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America and Oceania. In addition, 16 commentary groups are researching the reception of the individual Council documents.
'This global collaboration is uncharted territory in theology. It is a dynamic exchange with discourses from the perspectives of a wide variety of cultures,' says the theologian, who specialises in international Catholicism. Together with Professor Dries Bosschaert from the Catholic University of Leuven, she recently edited the volume 'The Second Vatican Council in Europe' of the intercontinental commentary, which both of them have now presented to the Pope. 'The volume sheds light on the history leading up to the Council, its impact in various regions of Europe, and the reception of the 16 individual Council documents. The reception of the Council is embedded in the political, cultural and socio-economic context of Europe,' explains Pękala, whose research focuses on the intertwining of religion and politics against the backdrop of cultural change processes in Europe since modern times, especially in the 20th century.
The innovations of the Council and the Church's openness to dialogue were anything but uncontroversial in Europe at the time – and in some cases remain so today. 'The results of the Council were received with mixed reactions. They met with approval and even enthusiasm from many, but also with deep rejection from others. They polarised people into reformists and traditionalists,' says the theologian. Above all, ecumenism and dialogue with other religions were rejected by conservative circles: Catholic identity was being watered down, the Church's missionary mandate betrayed. 'Some were also sceptical about the mission to open up the Church as a dialogue partner for the world,' says Pękala. There were fears of losing privileges, the position of one's own Catholic identity. Even innovations that were quickly implemented after the Council were controversial. 'Take the liturgical reform, for example. There were and still are opponents who wanted to stick to the old Latin liturgy,' says Pękala.
In general, it is not possible to view Europe as a whole. 'When researching the Council, Europe cannot be thought of as a single entity. There is a great imbalance in favour of Western Europe. Against the backdrop of the Cold War, stereotypes and clichés tended to prevail, and the necessary discourse did not take place. As a result, Eastern Europe is still given too little consideration. There is a very strong focus on the West,' says Pekala, who researches and teaches the History of the Church in its European context between East and West at the Saarbrücken campus.
Some parts of the Council have not been implemented to this day, for example with regard to the understanding of the episcopate, which, according to the Council's conclusions, should be given more responsibility for individual bishops. The Church has also done too little to combat anti-Judaism, anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews. 'The Council emphasised our common religious heritage, condemned anti-Semitism, distanced itself from anti-Judaism and thus laid the theological foundation for Christian-Jewish dialogue,' says the theologian, whose special research interest also focuses on the reconciliation processes supported by the Christian churches since the Second World War.
The Europe volume is now available, but Urszula Pękala's work on the major project on the Second Vatican Council continues: she is part of the academic editorial team for the complete commentary. 'The first six volumes are complete, and another six will follow. Volume twelve will conclude the series with a summary of the latest research findings,' says Urszula Pękala, who aims to connect her field across disciplinary boundaries as well as countries and continents, taking a global view of theology.
Questions answered by:
Prof. Dr Urszula Pękala: Email: urszula.pekala@uni-saarland.de