The Second Vatican Council began in 1962. What was its purpose? What changes did it make in Catholic practice? What new emphasis did it promote?

Answer 1

The explicit purpose of Vatican II was to reform the Church in ways that would allow the Church to dialogue with and respond to the modern world. The four-year-long Council introduced significant changes, such as the use of vernaculars in liturgies (although retaining the use of Latin at the same time) and the beginning of ecumenical and inter-faith dialogues. Overall, the emphasis was to "modernize" the Church.