United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

3 PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE (Mk 16:15)

THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION —CCC, NOS. 74-133

HANDING ON THE FAITH

St. John XXIII (pope from 1958 to 1963) believed that the Church needed a pastoral renewal that would enable the Church to minister more effectively to contemporary society. In his time he sensed that new ways were needed to communicate Christian doctrine to reveal the inherent attractiveness of the Gospel, while protecting its integrity. He said in his address to the bishops at the opening of the Second Vatican Council in 1962, “Christian doctrine should be guarded and taught more efficaciously.” When

he spoke about the Church’s being the source of unity for all peoples, he based his teaching on Jesus Christ, the one and only Savior who prayed at the Last Supper, “that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you” (Jn 17:21). In his opening address to the bishops on October 11, 1962, St. John XXIII explained his vision for the Second Vatican Council, the twenty-first Ecumenical Council. 2 He proposed five points for achiev ing this goal:

1. Be filled with hope and faith. Do not be prophets of gloom. “Divine Providence is leading us to a new order of human relations,

2 An Ecumenical Council is a gathering of bishops from around the world called together by the pope or approved by him. The Second Vatican Council was held from 1962 to 1965.