A “Council presided over by the successor of Peter as head of the visible Church” is the “highest expression” of the Magisterium, he said, to be regarded as part of “an indissoluble whole”, along with Scripture and 2,000 years of tradition.
I am absolutely sick to death of the bullcrap spewed about Vatican II.
The trads (and some otherwise orthodox Catholics) would have us believe that documents like Lumen Gentium-- termed a "dogmatic constitution"-- are supposed to only be "pastoral" i.e. non-binding in nature.
Yeah, they just made up this dogmatic constitution to be a mere re-statement of Catholic belief-- not anything that Catholcis are really supposed to adhere to.
Give me a freakin' break.
Look, if all the bishops of the world gather with the pope's approval and they effectively say "this is the faith of the Church", it does not matter what they call it: It's a binding exercise of the Magisterium. Call it an ecumenical council, call it a pastoral council, call it a hootenanny, when the bishops of the world teach this is the faith, that's the faith.
Let's stop second-guessing Vatican II.
