A Theological Reflection
Rest on the Flight to Egypt, Federico Fiori
Vactican Museum
Light on Our Blessed Lady:
Chapter Eight of Lumen Gentium
by Eamon R. Carroll, O. Carm.
Part One
The immediate aftermath of the Council saw a dramatic fall off in interest in Mary, painfully evident in the abandonment of traditional devotional practices, and the near silence about her from the pulpit. Although other Councils had been followed by troubled periods, even alert observers thought that this Council would be somehow spared what E.E.Y Hales described as the "devil's work." He shared the optimistic view that the coming Council would escape that trauma. The postconciliar explosion manifested itself in many ways: inopportunely expandied and enlarged convents, monasteries and seminaries suddenly not even half-filled or closed, the sexual revolution affecting family life, the shockingly sudden disapperarance of forms of Marian piety which were characteristicc of Catholic prayer life.
In hindsight it is not so astonishing that the unrest which was seething beneath the surface seized the occasion to manifest itself in exactly that aspect of Catholic life and piety which was so prominent as to be the accepted mark of a Catholic in American society - devotion to the saints, especially St. Mary. The transition was all the more stricking in comparison to the exuberance of the preceding period, from the twenties into the fifties. A century of continual Roman interest and support had run from the definition of the Immaculate Conception (1854, Pius IX), through eleven rosary letters of Leo XIII, under St. Pius X (the enthusiastic encyclical of 1904), the appeals of Benedict XV to the "Queen of Peace," Pius XI (commemoration of the Ephesus anniversary in 1931), and the placing of the "maternity of Mary" in the calendar for October 11 (the Second Vatican Council would open on that auspicious date), peaking in Pius XII with the definition of the Assumption (1950) as the world revived after World WarII, and also the Marian Year of 1954, finally the Lourdes anniversary, 1958, during which Pius XII died.
It would be a mistake to blame the media for creating the postconciliar Marian freeze. Given the importance of our Lady to the Catholics, and ecumenical interest is so prominent a feature of Catholic life it is understandable that the press followed closely conciliar debates on the mystery of Mary, and equally expected that the postconciliar fallout would be reported extensively. Histories of the Council, commentaries on the documents, and especially the synodal acta round out our understanding of how the Council put together the concluding chapter 8 of Lumen gentium (here abbreviated as LG): "The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church," a programmatic title reflection both the development and content of the lengthy chapter. Alone among the LG chapters the eighth chapter has five separately titled segments. The personal notes of people involved in the Council are gradually being published as well, e.g., for Belgian archives, by G. Philips, whose contributions were so great, as already shown in his two-volume commentary on LG, and other writings about the Council, in general and specifically about LG and chapter eight.
The conciliar treatment of Mary had a fascinating prehistory. Originally it was to occur within the planned document on the Church, but by the opening of the Council in October, 1962, it had become a separate document: "The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and Mother of Men." When the first session ended on December 8, the Fathers had not yet issued any document. Some proposed publishing the one on Mary, coincident with the feast of the Immaculate Conception, but the suggestion was turned down. By the second session, 1963, the unchanged document bore a new title, "Mary, Mother of the Church." The question arose whether to retain a separate schema or to incorporate it into the dogmatic constitution on the Church. The issue was vigorously debated, with strong opinions on both sides, closely followed by the media. Each side offered theological arguments, along with questions of opportuneness. Given the place devotion to Mary holds in the Church's life, an emotional factor was also present in the discussion.
One argument for inclusion in the Church on the document was that such close relationship to the central mystery of the Church would be ecumenically helpful. The invited observers from various Christian Churches were following developments closely. We know from their reports as well as from Catholic experts (as G. Philips) that their opinions were both solicited and heeded. In the debate Cardinal Koenig argued for insertion, Cardianl Santos for a separate schema. As Philips reported, "Both speakers maintained a remarkably high level of thought, but the general mood was anythng but dispassionate."
The impasse was resolved by the vote of Oct. 29,1963. Last minute efforts to affect the outcome included propaganda which sometimes took unpleasent forms (so Philips). The vote itself was astonishingly close: 1114 for insertion, 1074 for separate schema, a slim difference of just forty. Philips has noted that "much patience had to be exercised in order to reach the desired unanimity," for the Council could not proceed on a political pattern, with a victorious majority vis-a-vis a relucant, even disgruntled, minority. A year later, again according to Philips, "contrary to all expectations the controversy was happily solved," and LG with its final Marian chapter overwhelmingly voted in.
Part Two of this article will be placed on this page in early October, 1999.
Fr. Eamon R. Carroll, O. Carm., is professor of theology at Loyola University Chicago.
This article first appeared in Catholic Dossier, Issues in the Round, vol 2 no.3, May-June 1996.
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