Gaudium et spes

Gaudium et spes (Ecclesiastical Latin: [ˈɡau̯di.um et ˈspes], "Joys and Hopes"), the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, is one of the four constitutions resulting from the Second Vatican Council in 1965. It was the last and longest published document from the council and is the first constitution published by a Catholic ecumenical council to address the entire world.^[1]

Gaudium et spes clarified and reoriented the role of the church's mission to people outside of the Catholic faith.^[2] It was the first time that the church took explicit responsibility for its role in the larger world.^[2] The constitution's creation was necessitated by fear of the irrelevance in the modern era due to its ignorance on problems that plague the modern world.^[2] The document represents an inner examination of the church by the council and features a response to problems affecting the modern world.^[1]

Within Gaudium et spes are the themes of gift of self and the promotion of peace.^[3] While initial reception of the document was focused on the shift in theological considerations, reception of Gaudium et spes today marks the document as a turning point in the Church's focus on the world.^[3]

With the failure of the Church to respond promptly to major global events such as World War II and the Holocaust, Pope John XXIII began Vatican II with an emphasis on examining the role of the church in the world.^[4] This culminated with the creation of Gaudium et spes to address the role of the church in serving the world outside of Christianity.^[4] During the creation of the document itself, Gaudium et spes went through multiple versions of Schemas to reflect the idea Pope John XXIII wanted to achieve during the council.^[4] After long debate during the council over Gaudium et spes, the document came to cover a wide range of topics examining the inner workings of the Church and its interactions with the world as a whole.^[4] Such topics include marriage and family, the development of culture, economics, politics and peace and war.^[5]

Because of this role addressing how the Catholic Church relates towards the world at large, compared to the focus of Lumen Gentium on how the church understands itself, Gaudium et spes and Lumen gentium have been called "the two pillars of the Second Vatican Council."^[6]

Approved by a vote of 2,307 to 75 among the bishops assembled at the council, it was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965, the day the council ended. As is customary with Catholic documents, the title is taken from its opening words in Latin "the joys and hopes". The English translation begins:^[7]

"The joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well."

^ ^a ^b Xavier, Joseph (2010). "Theological Anthropology of "Gaudium et Spes" and Fundamental theology". Gregorianum. 91 (1): 124–136. ISSN 0017-4114. JSTOR 44322673.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gaillardetz, Richard R.; Clifford, Catherine E. (2012). Keys to the Council : unlocking the teaching of Vatican II. Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-3424-0. OCLC 793345332.
^ ^a ^b Weigel, George (December 1999). "John Paul II and the Crisis of Humanism". First Things (December 1999). Retrieved 23 October 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Brigham, Erin (31 December 2014). The church in the modern world : fifty years after Gaudium et spes. Lanham, MD. ISBN 978-0-7391-8731-9. OCLC 902830768.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Sheridan, Sean O. (2011). "Gaudium Et Spes: The Development and Implementation of the Church's Role in Evangelization in the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World". The Jurist: Studies in Church Law and Ministry. 71 (1): 91–119. doi:10.1353/jur.2011.0013. ISSN 2326-6236. S2CID 192678881.
^ Hahnenberg, Edward P. (2007). A Concise Guide to the Documents of Vatican II. St. Anthony Messenger Press. Kindle location 1224. ISBN 9781616362201.
^ "Gaudium et spes". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2020-11-03.

[:13-1] Xavier, Joseph (2010). "Theological Anthropology of "Gaudium et Spes" and Fundamental theology". Gregorianum. 91 (1): 124–136. ISSN 0017-4114. JSTOR 44322673.

[:2-2] Gaillardetz, Richard R.; Clifford, Catherine E. (2012). Keys to the Council : unlocking the teaching of Vatican II. Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-3424-0. OCLC 793345332.

[:5-3] Weigel, George (December 1999). "John Paul II and the Crisis of Humanism". First Things (December 1999). Retrieved 23 October 2018.

[:33-4] Brigham, Erin (31 December 2014). The church in the modern world : fifty years after Gaudium et spes. Lanham, MD. ISBN 978-0-7391-8731-9. OCLC 902830768.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[:44-5] Sheridan, Sean O. (2011). "Gaudium Et Spes: The Development and Implementation of the Church's Role in Evangelization in the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World". The Jurist: Studies in Church Law and Ministry. 71 (1): 91–119. doi:10.1353/jur.2011.0013. ISSN 2326-6236. S2CID 192678881.

[Concise_Guide-6] Hahnenberg, Edward P. (2007). A Concise Guide to the Documents of Vatican II. St. Anthony Messenger Press. Kindle location 1224. ISBN 9781616362201.

[:022-7] "Gaudium et spes". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2020-11-03.

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