THE EMERGENCE OF MODERNISM
Modernism became a prevailing social doctrine in the late 19th century and into the 20th century. Overall, modernists believed in the advancement of man in various platforms including: philosophy, science, technology, etc. Mankind, modernists believed, was forever changing and civilization must be updated in accordance with its time. In contrast to Catholic teaching, modernists franly believed that the Old and the New Testament were irrelevant to their current time. They were written by authors in their times to fit their needs. Pope Pius in his encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis written in 1907 stated that, "Modernism is the culmination of all heresy."
John XXIII's "Modernization"
St. John XXIII believed that it was crucial for the Church to adjust to the current times, but he believed that it should be done under the proper circumstances. His attitude towards "updating the Church are best reflected in his opening Speech to the Second Vatican Council. Unlike the many mainstream modernists, John XXIII sought to keep the substance of Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
"...the Church should never depart from the sacred treasure of truth inherited from the Fathers. But at the same time she must ever look to the present, to the new conditions and the new forms of life introduced into the modern world." |