Sandro Magister has taken up the refrain of John Paul II, and now Benedict XVI, that the prevailing understanding of the Spirit of the Council, needs to be reined in once and for all.
[Cardinal] Ruini contests the contrast made between John XXIII and Paul VI, as seen in the history of Vatican II . . . [which] continues to dominate the scene:
“The interpretation of the council as a rupture and a new beginning is coming to an end. This interpretation is very feeble today, and has no real foothold within the body of the Church. It is time for historiography to produce a new reconstruction of Vatican II which will also be, finally, a true story.”Ruini took from Joseph Ratzinger’s autobiography a few passages covering the time when he was a peritus [expert consultant] at the council:
“During the discussion leading up to the constitution ‘Dei Verbum,’ Ratzinger wondered aloud which came first in the order of faith: the historical-critical exegesis of the biblical texts, or the tradition of the believing community. He responded that tradition came first. And the council agreed with him. The alternative would have been to have transformed the Church into a parliamentary democracy dominated by theologians and exegetes.”
