The end of 2025 marked 60 years since the close of the Second Vatican Council on December 8, 1965. Then at the start of 2026, Pope Leo XIV declared that he was beginning a series of talks on Vatican II during his General Audiences, held each Wednesday. At this crucial moment in the life of the Church and the world, it is worth refreshing our collective memory about the significance of the Council, whose documents have been described as stars composing a bright “constellation” to guide our way in the twenty-first century (See Christian Bauer, “Testimonianza Cristiana in un mondo secolare?” p. 152-155). The Council began with Pope John XXIII, who called for an “updating” (in Italian, aggiornamento), not of the contents of the faith, but of the way the Church presents and communicates the faith. Based on his decades of experience as a Vatican diplomat in various countries and then as Archbishop of Venice, John XXIII dreamed of a more pastoral Church that was better equipped to put people in touch with the reality of the Gospel in the world today. Following his death one year into the Council, it fell upon the newly elected Pope Paul VI to determine whether it should continue or not. Paul VI decided to pick up where John XXIII had left off, guiding the Council through to its completion three years later. He summed up the objective of Vatican II as follows: “to make the Church of the twentieth century ever better fitted for proclaiming the Gospel to the people of the twentieth century” (Evangelii Nuntiandi #2). Paul VI was especially keen to put the Church in dialogue with the modern world. He understood that it was not enough to reiterate doctrine. The Church needed to engage in a mutual dialogue with the modern world – with its diverse cultures and religions, its “joys and hopes,” its struggles and challenges (see Gaudium et Spes #1). Over the course of its four sessions from 1962 to 1965, a total of sixteen key documents emerged from the Council on crucial topics in the life and mission of the Church. These included its relationships with the modern world, with other Christian denominations, and with other religions. The two-fold genius of the Council was: a) to present the faith in a way that is more accessible, fruitful, and meaningful for people today; and b) to extend the Church’s arms to engage in meaningful dialogue across religions, cultures, and the whole of society. On the last day of the Council, Pope Paul VI gave a speech that set a decisive orientation for implementing the Council moving forward. In choosing to enter into dialogue not just with Catholics but with everyone, the Council decided not to enter into a war with modernity or condemn contemporary society, but rather to develop a spirit of friendship and understanding with the men and women of today. Aware of the world’s strengths and weaknesses, the Council chose to see that the goodness of humanity, created in the image of God, is stronger than its sinfulness. In this sense, Paul VI characterized the spirit of the Council as being that of the Good Samaritan: meeting humanity in the midst of its woundedness, walking forward together with compassion and mercy, and loving one another as a sign of God’s love for all. Sixty years ago, Paul VI and Vatican II invited the Church and the world to love our fellow human beings as a way of loving God. This is the call at the heart of the Gospel, which we are called to live out in each generation. In a period of uncertainty, fear, conflict, and polarization, how essential it is to rediscover God in the way we love one another. As Paul VI put it at the close of the Council: “this is our hope for the whole of humanity which here we have learned to love more and to serve better.” This message is as pressing and urgent in the twenty-first century as it ever has been. Lord, in the midst of the world today, ignite in our hearts the fire of the Gospel. Spread your light and love across all of humanity on the path towards the peace and justice of your Kingdom. Amen.