The relator general of the Synod on Synodality, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, has declared his conviction that the Second Vatican Council “saved the Church.”
In an Oct. 17 interview with the Spanish news site Vida Nueva, Hollerich said, “If we did not have that moment of change that was the Second Vatican Council, the Church today would be a minor cult, unknown to most people.”
The archbishop of Luxembourg continued by stating his opinion that the Church “would have been reduced to a group that performs beautiful ceremonies, but that nobody understands anything about” if Vatican II had not occurred.
“Today, we need to change with the times. People are still interested in the gospel, and we need to relearn what it means to be real Jesus followers, he added.
According to Hollerich, when questioned about opposition to the Second Vatican Council, “the fiercest comes from the traditionalists, who interestingly are also a postmodern phenomena.”
“They ignore the prior and subsequent periods of history and pick just one point of reference. They fail to remember how tradition spreads through time. It is similar to how Netflix shows work in that they provide you a portion of the tale, but it is made up and not true,” he stated.
Because of this, conservative groups often draw young individuals from France and the United States.
Currently, Hollerich rule over the commission of bishops’ conferences in Europe. The current Synod on Synodality, which was recently extended until 2024, was chosen by Pope Francis, and the Jesuit and Luxembourg cardinal was chosen to serve as relator general.
The working paper for the continental phase of the Synod on Synodality, which is anticipated to be released in late October or early November, has garnered the cardinal’s praise for “how it represents the synodal Church paradigm.”
“The council is a treasure to realize the Church,” he added, adding that everything of Francis’ synodality stems from it.