Event

Second Vatican Council

1962–1965 · 20th century · Also known as Vatican II

The Second Vatican Council was the 21st ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held in St. Peter's Basilica from 1962 to 1965. Opened by Pope John XXIII and concluded by Paul VI, it allowed the Mass to be celebrated in local languages, recognised religious freedom, opened dialogue with other Christians and other religions, and rejected blaming the Jews collectively for the death of Christ.

Second Vatican Council
Image: The taker of the photo is unknown, the publisher is from Carroll College. · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

ChristianitySummaryLatinSummary

Mentioned in 1 state history

Vatican City

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Second Vatican Council. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/second-vatican-council
MLA
“Second Vatican Council.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/second-vatican-council. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Second Vatican Council.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/second-vatican-council.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Second Vatican Council’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/second-vatican-council (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻