FIGURE I: OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE SECOND

VATICAN COUNCIL IN 1962

Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images, 11 October 1962,
Opening of the Vatican II Council in 1962, accessed 8 October 2018,
<https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/first-session-of-the-
ecumenical-council-at-the-vatican-ii-news-photo/104411213>

FIGURE II: BISHOPS ATTEND A SESSION OF THE

SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2010, reproduced at X-Ray Vision,
accessed 2 October 2018, <http://www.x-
rayvision.com.au/index.php/film/ccf_film/>

POST-
CONCILIAR
CATHOLICISM
IN AUSTRALIA
Michael – 2018
 BRIEF INTRODUCTION + BACKGROUND
OVERVIEW OF THE COUNCIL ITSELF

T
he Second Ecumenical Council opened on 11 October 1962 and
closed on 8 December 1965; there was four sessions in total.
St. John XXIIIi called the Council presided over its first session in
1962 but died in 1963 throwing into doubt whether his successor would
continue the Councilii; his favoured choice St. Paul VIiii continued the
Council and is credited with implementing the reforms that came out from
it.
It is estimated that 2625 prelates attended the Council dedicated to how the
Church should exist in the modern era and how it could tune itself to the FIGURE III: St. John XXIII in an
demands of a secularizing civilization. There official portrait.
were four constitutions, three declarations, and
Zenit reproduced photo, photograph, 1958,
nine decrees issued in the Counciliv. It is accessed 28 September 2018,
important to note that three future popes <https://zenit.org/articles/todays-feast-of-
(excluding John XXIII and Paul VI) pope-john-xxiii-commemorates-opening-of-
vatican-ii/>
participated in the Council either as episcopal
participants or as expertsv.
PRE-CONCILIAR CATHOLICISM IN AUSTRALIA
The 1950s became a period in Australia where Roman Catholicism
boomed; a rapid expansion in parishes as well as in new priests and
professed religious, in addition to high Mass attendance rates that were
FIGURE IV: St. Paul VI in
this undated 1969 photo. recorded. The immigration influx from Christian nations such as Maltavi
also helped this booming trend since different cultural approaches to the
Blessed Paul VI is seen in this Christian faith from these nations helped to enrich the Australian
portrait made in early 1969, CNS
reproduced photo, photograph, Churchvii.
1969, accessed 30 September 2018,
This expansion in local parishes also saw the increase in Catholic schools
<https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/
9537/pope-prays-blessed-paul-vi-
in the education sector; this was perceived due to ecclesial ambitions for
will-intercede-for-church-he-loved-
so-much> a national Church following what the Church in Ireland aspired for. This
ethnic composition that migration heralded in resulted in changes to
Church composition in the sense that the Church had to adapt to new communities with their own
methods for liturgical practice that proved different from the Irish modelviii.
Bartholomew Augustine Santamariaix was a noted
Catholic figure during this time, best known for having
established the D.L.P. in 1955 due to perceived shifting
political allegiances in Catholics as well as to provide a
front for the fight against Communism which was anti-
Catholic and forbidden for Catholicsx. Santamaria
established the D.L.P. also due to concerns communist
influence in the A.L.P. which could ensnare Catholics. FIGURE V: Bartholomew Augustine
The Vatican never sanctioned the D.L.P though Santamaria circa 1986.
Archbishop Daniel Mannix supported Santamariaxi. Political activist BA Santamaria, c. 1986, reproduced
photograph in The Weekend Australian, 12 August 2017,
The post-war period in Australia also happened to mark accessed 2 October 2018,
an iconic moment for the Australian Church after Pius <https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/the-show-
another-side-of-santamarias-movement-mark-
XII named the nation’s second cardinalxii – but the first aarons/news-story/894346633218fe58413eb3566f1b5f1f>

1
Australian-born. He led efforts for rapid expansion in parishes and diocesan institutions to meet
Catholic growth. In this period also came two decisions that Pius XII made in relation to the
Australian Church after he decided to create an apostolic vicariatexiii (note: now a diocese) and two
dioceses due to an increase in Catholics in Australia and due to metropolitan expansion.
IMPACT
Immediate reaction to plans for the Council were met with enthusiasm overall in Australia, however,
the mood was quizzical for some who expressed private doubts as to what the Council hoped to
achieve and whether it would be able to implement a broad vision for the Church and to cement its
place in the modern worldxiv.
Reaction post-Council become mixed across the world but was
perceived to be a positive step forward here in Australia; the various
cultural communities that settled in Australia were able to see their
religious culture further enriched as the Mass became vernacular as
opposed to Latin, fostering greater liturgical participationxv.
However, there were still those who lamented the fact that the
liturgical rite became changed, with various customs associated
with it either relegated or abolished outright, causing anger more so
in traditionalist circlesxvi. The emphasis on the average Catholic was
well received, since it called for them to
propel the Church forward and have an
FIGURE VI: Newspaper article from active role in its initiatives and
1973 on the struggles of the Australian leadershipxvii.
Church.
The reforms impacted on the various
Australia’s remoteness lessens impact of
sectors in Church structure and overhauled
ecumenical spirit, Canberra Times (ACT:
various aspects to ecclesial culture and its
1926-1995), Saturday, 24 February 1973, p.
2.
relationship with the social, economic, and
political sectors at large. This was evident
in Australia in the realms of these contexts, with prelates hailing the reforms
such as Archbishop Frank Little later in the 1980s who introduced
liberalising changes to the Melbourne archdiocese. However, there were a
great deal of Catholics such as Santamaria who fretted that the Council
liberalized far too much, making it easier for there to be dissent among
priests and others aimed at the Church itself. Cultural warriors like George
Pellxviii and Santamaria stood firm in the face of both dissent and reforms that
caused religious culture to grow too lax. It is therefore important to assess the
Council and its impact upon the various sectors in Australian life culture to
assess the overall impact on the Australian Church, but also as a means of
seeing the overreaching vision the Council had for the world at large. The FIGURE VII: News
Council emphasized the Universal Call to Holinessxix, calling upon the detailing Pope Paul VI’s
faithful to strive for sanctification, and this major call served as an impetus message to Australian
Catholics
post-Council for efforts in evangelization and Church teaching, to expand
upon the call of Catholics to become saints. Pope sends message to
Australia, Canberra Times
Though well-intentioned, the Council alienated some Catholics which (ACT: 1926-1995), Friday, 2
July 1965, p. 7.
became evident in the 1970s with Mass attendance declining and a shortage
in priests and religious; parishes were also amalgamated or abolished outright
for better administration which was unappealing to the broader Catholic faithful.

2
The education sector flourished due to a renewal of Christian education, and there was an increase of
Catholic hospitals throughout the 1970s and 1980s, as well as an expansion of secular third order
members such as Secular Franciscansxx and Third Order Dominicansxxi. Paul VI became the first pope
in 1970 to visit Australia drawing large crowdsxxii and named two new cardinals for Australia in
1973xxiii.
However, the Council failed to renew seminariesxxiv, which became lax in their standards, resulting in
widespread dropouts over time, with critics citing this as a major factor in the current abuse crisis with
a less centralized focus on rigorous applications for the priesthood. These scandals and crises in faith
in part led to declining Catholics; in 1961, there were 1, 139, 649 Catholics while following the
Council in 1966 it experienced a sharp drop to 1, 103, 969xxv more so due to traditionalist outrage.
Most Australian Catholics were staunch traditionalists, including Santamaria who was a staunch
criticxxvi. In the modern context, Catholicism is in rapid decline, in 2016 being reported as 22.6%
down from 25.3% in 2011xxvii. People perceive the Church now as having little relevance citing the
Council a failure to respond to the demands of the modern era, with disenfranchisement a major
reason for departure. Between 1966 to 2016, this is an 88% to 52% dropxxviii, but took off more so in
the 1980s and 1990sxxix. Critics refer to the Council as a major force for this decline due to a
liberalization of Catholic tradition in a nation home to traditionalist Christiansxxx.
LEGACIES
Reform was implemented to rejuvenate the Church to
make it relevant and accessible in the modern era. This
vision that St. John XXIII had for the Council could not
consider the rapid rise in secularisation more so in Western
countries, which also applies to Australia. The Council
could not also foresee the fact that its reforms could also
drive Catholics from the Church, with some even
converting to other faiths, for example, to Pentecostalism
for its appealing liturgical practices. Furthermore, the
Church as it stands now represents a different Church to
that which existed pre and post-Council; Mass attendance
rates have dropped at a rapid pace, and numbers in new FIGURE VIII: Australian 2011 Census data
in relation to the number of Catholics.
priests as well as professed religious has declined as those
in those fields increase in their age. Australian Census 2011 demographic map – Australia
by SLA – BCP field 2727 Christianity Catholic Persons
The perceived notion that the Council watered down by Toby Hudson, distributed on Wikimedia Commons
under a CC BY-SA, accessed 29 September 2018,
essential elements in Church life and culture alienated <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Australian_
Catholics across Australia, with popular devotions almost Census_2011_demographic_map_-
disappearing due to a lack of focus and emphasis on those _Australia_by_SLA_-
_BCP_field_2727_Christianity_Catholic_Persons.svg>
devotions, leading others to borrow elements from other
traditions with a more enriching spiritual culture. The benefit to the Council overall in Australia
would be that leadership positions within the Church once claimed befitting of priests and religious
are now open for the average Catholicxxxi for them to better contribute to the life and mission of the
Australian Church – a critical focus stemming from the Council and its desire to be relevant in the
modern world.
The overall sense is that these changes in Church practice are welcome evidence that the Church is
willing to adapt to new realities that challenge the Church in the modern world; there is still the view
that these conciliar reforms have done nothing more than to change rules and practices that do not
further enhance Church appeal and outreach.

3
The impetus that the Council gave to evangelization and a focus on the average Catholic gave rise to
various initiatives and transformations in Catholic congresses, charities, and documents that were in-
line with the conciliar spirit of ecclesial renewal and evangelization. Papal documents such as
Evangelii Nuntiandixxxii reconfirmed the conciliar belief that all Catholics were called to evangelic
activism in the Church and outside of it while holding true to their faithxxxiii, and Eucharistic
Congresses took on a new impetus of bolder preaching and promotion of popular devotions such as
Eucharistic Adoration. The 2020 Plenary Council here in Australia has been touted as a chance to
renew the conciliar spirit from the 1960s to reaffirm the reforms from the Council and a manner to
chart how to better implement its grand vision, more so considering scandals and crises the Church
faces, and to address declining Catholicism and limited vocationsxxxiv.
BRIEF CONCLUSION
The Second Ecumenical Council is considered a prominent moment propelled the Church into the
modern era, and its ramifications were felt here in Australia. Its forever altered the Australian Church
and its culture as well as the method it reached out to the faithful. However, there were various
setbacks in the reforms that caused certain disenfranchisement in Catholics with some leaving the
Church outright.
In modern Australia, the Church has changed the structure of Church leadership in various dimensions
and has fostered an enthusiasm for greater catechetical formation and introduction of religious secular
third orders, which have grown in strength following the Council, in pursuit of its vision and spirit.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL RESOURCES
PRIMARY SOURCES
‘Quiet schism’ in the Church, Tribune (Sydney, N.S.W.: 1939-1976), Wednesday, 12 February 1969,
p. 5.
Australia’s remoteness lessens impact of ecumenical spirit, Canberra Times (ACT: 1926-1995),
Saturday, 24 February 1973, p. 2.
Pope sends message to Australia, Canberra Times (ACT: 1926-1995), Friday, 2 July 1965, p. 7.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (1970), Population, no. 56, chapter 7, accessed 9 October 2018,
<http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/0/F7588057B1F1AD4DCA257AF6001664C8/$File
/13010_1970_chapter7.pdf>
Pontiff, Deeply Tired, Visits Australia and Maintains His Crowded Schedule, New York Times,
Tuesday, 1 December 1970, p. 3.
SECONDARY SOURCES
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2016), Religion in Australia, 2016, report, accessed 15 October 2018,
<http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~
Religion%20Article~80>
Fitzgerald, R., Carr, A., and Dealy, W. J. (2003), The Pope’s Battalions: Santamaria, Catholicism and
the Labor Split, University of Queensland Press.
Franklin, J. (2006), Catholic Values and Australian Realities, Connor Court Publishing Pty. Ltd.,
South Australia.

4
Zimmermann, N. (2015), The Great Grace: Receiving Vatican II Today, Bloomsbury, Sydney,
N.S.W.
Faggioli, M. (2012), Vatican II: The Battle for Meaning, Paulist Press, New Jersey.
Grech, J. and Cahill, D., The Catholic Church and the Australian Nation – Monolithic or
Multicultural?, viewed 17 October 2018, <https://www.catholic.org.au/all-downloads/bishops-
commissions-1/bishops-commission-for-pastoral-life-1/760-the-catholic-church-and-the-australian-
nation-monolithic-or-multicultural-1/file>
Dixon, R. (2005), The Catholic Community in Australia, Openbook Publishers: Adelaide, reproduced
at Catholic Australia, viewed 17 October 2018, <http://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-
australia/history>
Elliot, P. J. (2014), “Interpreting Vatican II today: Part Three: Traditionalist Attitudes” in Kairos,
volume 24, issue 5, reproduced on the Archdiocese of Melbourne website, viewed 12 October 2018,
<https://www.cam.org.au/News-and-Events/Reflections/Article/14571/Interpreting-Vatican-II-
today#.W8yP4eIJIYc>
IMAGES
FIGURE I: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images, 11 October 1962, Opening of the
Vatican II Council in 1962, accessed 8 October 2018, <https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-
photo/first-session-of-the-ecumenical-council-at-the-vatican-ii-news-photo/104411213>
FIGURE II: Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2010, reproduced at X-Ray Vision, accessed 2
October 2018, <http://www.x-rayvision.com.au/index.php/film/ccf_film/>
FIGURE III: Zenit reproduced photo, photograph, 1958, accessed 28 September 2018,
<https://zenit.org/articles/todays-feast-of-pope-john-xxiii-commemorates-opening-of-vatican-ii/>
FIGURE IV: Blessed Paul VI is seen in this portrait made in early 1969, CNS reproduced photo,
photograph, 1969, accessed 30 September 2018, <https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/9537/pope-prays-
blessed-paul-vi-will-intercede-for-church-he-loved-so-much>
FIGURE V: Political activist BA Santamaria, c. 1986, reproduced photograph in The Weekend
Australian, 12 August 2017, accessed 2 October 2018,
<https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/the-show-another-side-of-santamarias-movement-
mark-aarons/news-story/894346633218fe58413eb3566f1b5f1f>
FIGURE VI: Australia’s remoteness lessens impact of ecumenical spirit, Canberra Times (ACT:
1926-1995), Saturday, 24 February 1973, p. 2.
FIGURE VII: Pope sends message to Australia, Canberra Times (ACT: 1926-1995), Friday, 2 July
1965, p. 7.
FIGURE VII: Australian Census 2011 demographic map – Australia by SLA – BCP field 2727
Christianity Catholic Persons by Toby Hudson, distributed on Wikimedia Commons under a CC BY-
SA, accessed 29 September 2018,
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Australian_Census_2011_demographic_map_-
_Australia_by_SLA_-_BCP_field_2727_Christianity_Catholic_Persons.svg>

i
John XXIII (1881-1963) was pope from late 1958 until his death from stomach cancer in mid-1963. He was
beatified in 2000 and canonized as a saint in 2014.
ii
Councils are automatically suspended upon the death of a reigning pope.

5
iii
Paul VI (1897-1978) was pope from mid-1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1978. He was beatified in
2014 and canonized as a saint in 2018.
iv
Zimmermann, N. (2015), The Great Grace: Receiving Vatican II Today, Bloomsbury, Sydney, N.S.W.
v
Albino Luciani (future John Paul I; 1912-1978) served as the Bishop of Vittorio Veneto, Karol Józef Wojtyła
(future St. John Paul II; 1920-2005) served as an auxiliary bishop of Kraków, and Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger (b.
1927) served as a theological expert for Cardinal Josef Frings.
vi
Dixon, R. (2005), The Catholic Community in Australia, Openbook Publishers: Adelaide, reproduced at
Catholic Australia, viewed 17 October 2018, <http://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history>
vii
Grech, J. and Cahill, D., The Catholic Church and the Australian Nation – Monolithic or Multicultural?,
viewed 17 October 2018, p. 2, <https://www.catholic.org.au/all-downloads/bishops-commissions-1/bishops-
commission-for-pastoral-life-1/760-the-catholic-church-and-the-australian-nation-monolithic-or-multicultural-
1/file>
viii
Ibid, p. 1.
ix
Bartholomew Augustine Santamaria (1915-1998) is considered even still as one of the most traditional
Catholic voices in Australia; it should be noted he was a critic of conciliar reform.
x
Fitzgerald, R., Carr, A. J., and Dealy, W. J. (2003), The Pope’s Battalions: Santamaria, Catholicism and the
Labor Split, University of Queensland Press, pp. 1-3.
xi
Ibid, pp. 3-4.
xii
Cardinal Gilroy was created a cardinal at the beginning of 1946.
xiii
An apostolic vicariate is noted for being smaller than a diocese and is a territorial jurisdiction that is a
provisional measure in anticipation that growing numbers of Catholics within that jurisdiction would allow for
the creation of a diocese. There are no existing jurisdictions in Australia now.
xiv
‘Quiet schism’ in the Church, Tribune (Sydney, N.S.W.: 1939-1976), Wednesday, 12 February 1969, p. 5.
xv
Faggioli, M. (2012), Vatican II: The Battle for Meaning, Paulist Press, New Jersey.
xvi
Elliot, P. J. (2014), “Interpreting Vatican II today: Part Three: Traditionalist Attitudes” in Kairos, volume 24,
issue 5, reproduced on the Archdiocese of Melbourne website, viewed 12 October 2018,
<https://www.cam.org.au/News-and-Events/Reflections/Article/14571/Interpreting-Vatican-II-
today#.W8yP4eIJIYc>
xvii
Australia’s remoteness lessens impact of ecumenical spirit, Canberra Times (ACT: 1926-1995), Saturday, 24
February 1973, p. 2.
xviii
George Pell (b. 1941) became Archbishop of Melbourne, then Archbishop of Sydney, and currently is
Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy of the Holy See.
xix
Gaudium et Spes (1965) highlights this dimension to Catholic teaching and is a consistent point of reference
to our present period.
xx
Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/1182-1226) founded the Order of Friars Minor, known as the Franciscans, and
there are three branches worth noting: friars, professed religious, and secular people. Australia has a national
order of seculars.
xxi
Saint Dominic (1170-1221) founded the Dominican Order, known as the Order of Preachers, which as a
secular branch here in Australia.
xxii
Pontiff, Deeply Tired, Visits Australia and Maintains His Crowded Schedule, New York Times, Tuesday, 1
December 1970, p. 3.
xxiii
Cardinals Freeman and Knox were elevated to the cardinalate on 5 March 1973. Three further cardinals for
Australia would be named in 1988 (Clancy), 1991 (Cassidy), and the most recent being in 2003 (Pell).
xxiv
Franklin, J. (2006), Catholic Values and Australian Realities, Connor Court Publishing Pty. Ltd., South
Australia, chapter 6, pp. 66-67.
xxv
Australian Bureau of Statistics (1970), Population, no. 56, chapter 7, accessed 9 October 2018,
<http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/0/F7588057B1F1AD4DCA257AF6001664C8/$File/13010_1
970_chapter7.pdf>
xxvi
Franklin, J. (2006), Catholic Values and Australian Realities, Connor Court Publishing Pty. Ltd., South
Australia, chapter 6, p. 64.
xxvii
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2016), Religion in Australia, 2016, report, accessed 15 October 2018,
<http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Religion%
20Article~80>
xxviii
Ibid.
xxix
Faggioli, M. (2012), Vatican II: The Battle for Meaning, Paulist Press, New Jersey.
xxx
Elliot, P. J. (2014), “Interpreting Vatican II today: Part Three: Traditionalist Attitudes” in Kairos, volume 24,
issue 5, reproduced on the Archdiocese of Melbourne website, viewed 12 October 2018,
<https://www.cam.org.au/News-and-Events/Reflections/Article/14571/Interpreting-Vatican-II-
today#.W8yP4eIJIYc>

6
xxxi
George Pell in Zimmermann, N. (2015), The Great Grace: Receiving Vatican II Today, Bloomsbury,
Sydney, N.S.W, chapter 1, “Yesterday’s Council for Tomorrow’s World”, p. 3.
xxxii
Issued on 8 December 1975, it is an apostolic exhortation translated as Evangelization in the Modern World.
xxxiii
Zimmermann, N. (2015), The Great Grace: Receiving Vatican II Today, Bloomsbury, Sydney, N.S.W,
introduction iii.
xxxiv
For example, there were just three priests ordained for the Archdiocese of Melbourne in 2017.