The Council Fathers and Atheism - The Interventions at the Fourth Session of Vatican Council II - Translated and Introduced by Peter Hebblethwaite, S.J.

Oct 13, 2026

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The book presents the speeches delivered at Vatican Council II on the subject of atheism, focusing on interventions made during the Council’s work. It frames the interventions alongside the conciliar text released in September 1965 and the definitive text adopted on December 7, 1965. A comparison of these texts shows how the Council progressed, while the interventions illuminate how the Church understands atheism today. The introduction also explains the origins and context of the conciliar treatment and clarifies the ambiguity of the term “atheism.”

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages116

Reading Time4 h 52 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Purpose and background of the conciliar text on atheism

Meaning and ambiguity of the term “atheism”

The Church’s attitude toward atheism and atheists

# Interventions at the FourthSession of Vatican CouncilⅡ 95Cthe councilfathers&atheismPeter Hebblethwaite,S.J. 211.8 H443 Hebblewaite,Peter The Council Fathers andAtheism42 Aquinas CollegeLibrary THE ## COUNCIL FATHERSANDATHEISM .15 Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2021 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundation The Council FathersandAtheism ## The Interventions at the FourthSession of Vatican Council II Translated and Introduced by Peter Hebblethwaite,S.J. PAULIST PRESS DEUS BOOKS NEW YORKGLEN ROCKWESTMINSTERTORONTOAMSTERDAM 21.8 H44-3 00042 AQUINAS COLLEGE LIBRARYGrand Rapids,Mich.49506 ### NIHIL OBSTAT: Rev.James J.O'ConnorCensor Librorum ### IMPRIMATUR: Leo A.Pursley,D.D.Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend December 12,1966 The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are oficial declarations thata book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error.Noimplication is contained therein that those who have grantedthe Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents,opinions or statements expressed. Copyright ⑥1967 byThe Missionary Societyof St.Paul the Apostlein the State of New York Cover Design:Morris Berman Library of CongressCatalog Card Number:67-15724 Published by Paulist Press Editorial Ofice:304 W.58th St.,N.Y.,N.Y.10019Business Office:Glen Rock,New Jersey 07452 Printed and bound in theUnited States of Americaby Our Sunday Visitor Press Contents …………………………………7 INTRODUCTION ……………………………………… PART ONE GENESIS AND SETTING OF THE CoNCILIAR TEXT I Why Did the Council Deal with Atheism?………………………………………11 I Developments in Papal Teaching………………15 III The Debate at the Third Session………………25 IV Between the Third and Fourth Sessions ………41 V The Fourth Session ………………………………………………49 VI Toward a Commentary of the Definitive Text ……………………………………………………………55 PART TWO TEXTS AND INTERVENTIONS VII THE TEXT DISCUSSED AT THE FoURTH SESSION …………………………………73 The Psychology of Atheists …………………………76 Cardinal Seper A Question Addressed to Christians ……79 Patriarch Maximos IV Contents The Need for Study……………………………………………82 Cardinal König Materialism and the Problem of Evil………86 Cardinal Florit A Practical, Not a Theoretical Question……89 Very Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. The Plague of Modern Society…………………95 Bishop Elko Atheism Is People …………………………………………………96 Archbishop Marty Truth and Clarity………………………………………………99 Bishop Rusnak VII THE DEFINITIVE TEXT:Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (nn. 19-21)………………………105 ## Introduction This book consists of the speeches delivered atVatican Council II on the subject of atheism.Oneor two have been excluded because their authors didnot give permission,but happily they were of littleconsequence.The speeches-henceforward called in-terventions-are preceded by the text placed beforethe fathers in September,1965,and followed by thetext finally adopted by a considerable majority(2,309placet,75 non placet,7 null)at the public session ofDecember 7,1965.A comparison of the two texts willindicate how far the Council traveled in a short time,and a reading of the interventions will show how theycontributed to the definitive text.In this way onecan hope to illustrate two things:first,to show howthe Council worked in one particular field,and thenarrower the field the better;second,of course,tothrow light on how the Church views atheism todayIt should be emphasized from the outset that the sec-tion on atheism is a relatively short part of the lengthyPastoral Constitution on the Church in the ModernWorld.The purpose of this introduction is to pro-vide an account of the genesis and setting of the con-ciliar text,and in this way to throw light on itsmeaning. Introduction It may seem that to ask"How does the Churchview atheism today?"is to ask a somewhat redundantquestion.Surely everyone knows.But the momentone begins to think seriously about the question-as the fathers were so invited-th

FAQs

What does the book collect and how are the speeches organized?

It consists of the interventions (speeches) delivered at Vatican Council II on atheism. They are preceded by the text submitted to the fathers in September 1965 and followed by the final text adopted on December 7, 1965.

How does the book explain the relationship between interventions and the definitive text?

It suggests that comparing the two texts shows how far the Council traveled in a short time, while reading the interventions shows how they contributed to the definitive text.

Why does the introduction say the term “atheism” is imprecise?

Because “atheism” can refer to attitudes like unbelief and indifference, to processes such as secularization, or to systems such as humanism or materialism; it also raises questions about the unbeliever’s good faith and responsibility.

Oct 13, 2026

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