November 4, 1965
Antipope Paul VI
Apostolic Exhortation Postrema Sessio
(image: L’Osservatore Romano, Nov. 7, 1965)
[Exclusive online English translation]
TO ALL BISHOPS IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE: PRAYERS ARE CALLED FOR AT THE CLOSE OF THE SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL
Venerable Brothers, greetings and apostolic blessing.
The final session of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council is now drawing to a close. Soon, this great assembly, which gathered four years ago at the tomb of Saint Peter the Apostle, will be dismissed, having addressed the expectations, desires, and pressing needs of the Christian people. You, Venerable Brothers, will return to your respective sees after a long and fruitful labor, rightly rejoicing that, through your work, effective tools have been prepared to promote true renewal of the Church, the unity of all Christians, and a more dignified order of peace and human affairs.
As the Ecumenical Synod, with its work nearly complete, seems poised to bring a new and abundant outpouring of spiritual life to the Church and the world, we cannot refrain from urging the faithful to offer more frequent and fervent prayers to God. We desire, Venerable Brothers, that the fervent spirit of prayer, which we have repeatedly encouraged among the Church’s children throughout the Council, should not diminish but rather intensify, especially at this time when the Council’s work is concluding. In these days, may the entire Church, gathered throughout the world, unite in fervent prayer with the successors of Peter and the Apostles, just as the Apostles once did with Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our own, in the Upper Room [Acts 1:14], to implore a new Pentecost that will beneficially renew the face of the Church and human society by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
First, let fitting thanks be offered to Almighty God, who, throughout the celebration of the Council, never ceased to be present with the Ecumenical Synod, assisting it with His divine help and abundant heavenly illumination. Indeed, if we consider the immense amount of work the Council has accomplished thus far, we are truly filled with admiration, whether for the numerous doctrinal points proposed by the extraordinary Magisterium of the Church or for the wisely imparted norms of discipline, which, while faithfully preserving ecclesiastical tradition, open new paths for the Church’s action and undoubtedly contribute greatly to the good of souls.
If we turn our attention to the common esteem with which secular people have followed the Council’s celebration, we are no less filled with joy, noting how the Ecumenical Synod has so greatly engaged the interest and thoughts of people, such that the questions and teachings of the Church appear to be of utmost importance to all men of good will who sincerely seek the truth and strive to promote genuine human prosperity. This indeed provides the Church with the opportunity to engage in fruitful dialogue with the world, with people of every religion and culture, to contribute to the safeguarding of true human goods and to address human questions more aptly according to the Gospel doctrine.
Indeed, the Catholic Church has been seen to shine before all nations as a city set on a hill [cf. Mt 5:14], the invincible guardian of divine truths and human dignity. It is not difficult to anticipate the future growth of religious matters, which will follow from this, as the people of God become more and more imbued with the sacred breath of spiritual renewal that the Council has stirred within the Church.
While these things bring great consolation to all those whose work has abundantly brought the “manifold grace of God” [1 Pet 4:10] to the souls of the faithful, they also compel us to strive with all our might to ensure that the flowing stream of heavenly graces, which currently “gladdens the city of God” [Ps 45:5], is not hindered by any obstacle, nor the vital spirit that today animates the Church be in any way diminished. This could indeed happen if, after the time of discussion and law-making has passed, the apostolic zeal of the sacred pastors becomes lax, and they do not sufficiently attend to the duties proper to the time following the Council’s celebration. For the happy outcome of the Council and its most beneficial fruits in the life of the Church will depend more on the zeal and diligence with which the laws are implemented than on the multitude of laws themselves. It will be necessary especially to prudently prepare the faithful to accept new norms; to awaken the inertia of those who refuse to adapt to the new course of things; to restrain the intemperance of others who excessively indulge in private innovations, thus potentially harming the work of renewal; to keep the change in discipline within the limits prescribed by legitimate authority; and finally, to instill in everyone complete trust in the sacred pastors and to inspire full obedience, which is a testimony of true love for the Church and at the same time the surest guarantee of unity and a successful outcome.
It is enough to briefly touch on these matters, Venerable Brothers, to reveal the gravity and importance of the duties that await you henceforth. Indeed, an immense task is already at hand, one that demands prudence, perseverance, and the sagacity of your counsel; but it also demands the united, prompt, and generous cooperation of the entire flock entrusted to each of you. The Ecumenical Council, as it pertains to the spiritual life of all the Church’s children, cannot proceed without the common effort of all.
In this united effort, there is no doubt that beloved priests will be of assistance to their pastors, especially those dedicated to the care of souls. The Ecumenical Council, by issuing provident norms concerning them, has provided them with an incomparable tool for exercising their priestly ministry more worthily and effectively; let them willingly accept and use it, ever more determined to achieve holiness and to undertake their sacred ministry with diligent and generous spirit. From Our pastoral experience, we know well how many of Christ’s workers, truly worthy, labor diligently in cultivating the Lord’s field; nor are we ignorant of the difficulties and pains that afflict the lives of many, often spent in solitude, poverty, and amidst hostile human spirits. Let these dear sons of Ours know that the Vicar of Christ turns his thoughts to them and prays to God for them continually; their sufferings, often hidden, may be unknown to men, but they cannot be hidden from God, who prepares for them a worthy reward for their labors in heaven.
Our mind also turns with special confidence to the invaluable contribution that all religious families will make to this very cause. For from the flourishing condition of religious life, the Church derives a great part of its vigor, apostolic zeal, and ardor for holiness. And if ever, now especially, the Church needs the public and social witness imparted by religious life, as well as the help to be given to the diocesan clergy in apostolic work. May the examples of those who have truly renounced the world shine ever more brightly, clearly demonstrating that the kingdom of God is not of this world [cf. Jn 18:30]; nor should the apostolic zeal with which they are inflamed be confined within the limits of their society, but should extend to all the spiritual needs with which our age is so miserably burdened.
Finally, we place great hope in the lay faithful devoted to the apostolate, whom we embrace with paternal benevolence. The fact that the Ecumenical Council deliberately chose to address them and extensively described their place and roles in the Church clearly shows the significant parts that laypeople must now be assigned. Indeed, the pastoral activity of the sacred ministers cannot achieve its goals without the accompanying action of laypeople, whose role it is to assist the Church in its sacred ministry, to supplement priests where there is a shortage of clergy, and to discover new ways and means by which the Church can more aptly and effectively convey the message of salvation to the people of our times. Therefore, we urge these Our sons with a fatherly spirit to prove themselves equal to this great hour of the Ecumenical Council, and to eagerly fulfill the hope and expectation placed in them by the Church.
Venerable Brothers, we are filled with good hope that your children in Christ, just as they have shared in your concerns for the outcome of the Council by praying, anxiously hoping, and rejoicing, so too, when you return to your sees, they will abundantly gladden you with their generous proposals of assistance. Indeed, we earnestly desire that upon your return to your homeland, you will not lack public testimonies of honor and due expressions of gratitude, as the great work you have completed with prudence, wisdom, and utmost diligence demands, and as befits those who have opened new paths for the Church to pursue and who have authoritatively shown humanity the right path of human dignity, fraternal love, unity, and peace. Through you, great hope has been kindled in the Church and in the world; blessed are those who will render you helpful service in nurturing, strengthening, and perfecting it.
For the arduous and most serious duty that is imposed upon you after the Council, you know, Venerable Brothers, how inadequate human strength is. Therefore, the execution of the Council’s laws will only bring the desired fruits to the Church if the help of the Divine Redeemer, who said “Without me you can do nothing” [Jn 15:5] accompanies your efforts, and if the action of the Holy Spirit continues to deeply affect, enlighten, and strengthen the minds of the sacred pastors. Hence, prayers — in which the vital breath of the Church consists — especially prayers addressed to the Holy Spirit, whose role it is to direct the steps of Christ’s followers, declare the duty that is most urgently required at this final time of the Council. From these prayers, the faithful should draw the strength to tread the path, now full of hope, that lies open before them; to obey the Church’s admonitions with all due respect, as she now especially desires her children to be docile in obedience, prompt in action, and magnanimous in enduring whatever difficulties may arise; and finally, to obtain from God a multitude of holy men, who, like Saint Charles Borromeo, will be an example and encouragement to the Christian people in faithfully carrying out the Council’s decrees, for from these men, above all, the true renewal of the Church, which the Ecumenical Council ardently desires, will ultimately be expected.
To this end, we have decided, Venerable Brothers, that before the conclusion of the Ecumenical Council, solemn supplications will be held for three days in all dioceses, parishes, and religious communities of the Catholic world. These supplications, which will be held during the upcoming novena in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate, should not only aim to offer due thanks to God and to seek new heavenly gifts but also provide an opportune occasion to remind the faithful of their new duties and to encourage them to energetically translate the salutary precepts of the Ecumenical Council into action in both private and public Christian life, by joining their efforts with yours.
Finally, allow Us, Venerable Brothers, to express this wish of Ours to you, that from the City [of Rome], you may impart suitable instructions and exhortations to your flocks about these supplications; and indeed, arrange matters in such a way that when the solemn conclusion of the Ecumenical Council is celebrated in the Vatican Basilica, on the same day and at the same hour, the entire family of Catholics throughout the world may appear united with the Vicar of Christ and their sacred pastors in fervent prayer, with one voice and one mind.
Sustained by this hope, as a pledge of divine gifts and a token of Our benevolence, We lovingly impart to each of you, Venerable Brothers, and to the clergy and people entrusted to your care, Our Apostolic Blessing in the Lord.
Given at Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on November 4, the feast of Saint Charles Borromeo, in the year 1965, the third of Our Pontificate.
POPE PAUL VI
[English translation generated using ChatGPT 4.0.]
[Original Latin text: Vatican.va Web Site]
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