Cardinal Siri On VII's First Session

Rorate seems to be getting into the act by recounting some of the Council's historical highlights. Naturally, we welcome the contribution to the project. We've already discussed the first session ourselves and all the shenanigans that ensued as the Rhine faction hijacked the proceedings. I'd never seen the Cardinal Siri account provided by Rorate, though, so we're trying to help spread it around.

The Council has revealed: that a vague direction in the Church is being outlined, this is represented by a group of the German language and the like. It is organized aliquatenus [to a certain degree]. This is a partial attempt that you cannot affirm with certainty, but you see it in the facts, that someone has a clear and deliberate plan in mind; there is rage against reason, theology and the law. One sees the end of kerygmalism, that is, often that of eliminating Tradition, Ecclesia etc., this is more unconscious than conscious, but it is helped along by the lack of intuition of those who want absolutely to adapt as much as possible to the protestants, to the orthodox etc.,in very many cases, literature prevails on theology. Many beautiful and also true dissertations pertain to literary considerations on dogma, not dogma itself; there is talk of a Theologia nova and the concept of this, let alone the aim, appear to be very dark and perhaps dangerous. The term Theologia nova was coined by a Belgian bishop at the Council.”

Rorate includes a footnote of exactly what items Cardinal Siri was so worried about. It's an astounding bit of prophecy for something written in 1963.