The Second Vatican Council is 60 years old and although it is approximately a decade younger than me, it is not clear which of us has aged worse – the competition is close.
It is commonplace to distinguish between the Council itself and the “spirit of the Council”. But it is equally clear that there are people on both wings of the Church who are unwilling to compromise on the question of rupture or continuity.
One of the greatest difficulties for those who desire a hermeneutic of continuity was Pope Francis himself. His outright assault on the Latin Mass amounted to perhaps the most audacious and focused attempt to drive a wedge between the pre-conciliar and post-conciliar Church – by severing what is arguably its most vital arterial connection: the liturgy.
