The Second Vatican Council and the overview of Catholic theologians on the objectives and tasks achieved at the beginning of the twenty first century

Abstract

The convening of the Second Vatican Council brought about a tumultuous polemics among orthodox theologians. From the denying to the suspicion regarding the objectives and intentions of its convening in the beginning, in the attitudes of orthodox theologians, first of all, the Greek ones and one part of the Russian ones in diaspora, a positive development of attitudes and thinking during the duration of the council was noticed, even some ideas and attitudes were accepted. It is raised the question from which reasons or better to say convictions, the Orthodox theologians and observers at the Council are changing their positions on the themes treated at the Second Vatican's Council, taking part in council's sessions or some other documents elaborations. It remains also overt due to which reason council participants advocate or promote the idea of catholicity and unity, where it explicitly emphasises or determines the position of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches in the relation with the Universal Catholic Church by subordinating them to the Pope?.

Keywords

• council
• ecclesiology
• orthodox
• unity
• ecumenism
• reactions