On the (Ir)Relevance of the Second Vatican Council

Abstract

This article discusses whether Second Vatican Council is or can still be relevant today. It an­alyzes which aspects of the Council can be relevant, how they can be relevant, and for whom they can be relevant in the present day. Therefore, the Council documents, as well as central documents of its magisterial reception, are examined in the article. As a result, synodality appears as a major consequence of Vatican II and also as a sign of its contemporary and future relevance. This inscribes both Second Vatican Council and the current synodal path in the Tradition of the Church with its eschatological dynamic. On the one hand, the relevance of the Council for the Church in all its expressions has to be considered, while, on the other hand, a specific synodal exercise of ministries is necessary for this very relevance.