Column on Vatican II missed the mark

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To the Editor:
Father Robert Barron has a talent for explaining well the elements of our faith in terms of the culture we experience.  I am usually charmed by his insights.
However, his last column trading on the Vatican II Council as being “the greatest meeting of all time” and propagating bureaucracy in the Church seems to have missed the mark.  He seems to imply that the council came without the sense of urgency or prompting of the Holy Spirit expressed by John XXIII: the need for aggiornamento and engagement with the world.  He blames such engagement as responsible for a weak fervor for evangelization.
Although Fr. Barron was young in receiving the fruits of the council, he may be naïve in thinking the council fathers were merely enthralled by the process of “listening, dialoguing, wondering, doubting and discussing” rather than  discerning the challenges and opportunities which could refresh our faith and renew the face of the earth.
Unfortunately, a trend seems to be developing in which such attitudes as Fr. Barron’s seek to erode the good work, spirit and call of the Holy Spirit within that council to be a people of hope and Good News.
Father Walter Helms
St. Thomas More Church
Coralville


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