Significant Events of 20th Century Catholicism

 Ten significant events and developments in the Catholic Church of the 20th century.

10. An extraordinary line of wise, holy popes, starting with Pius X and within recent memory Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul, and Benedict.

9. As in every age, witness of saints like Padre Pio, Maria Gioretti, Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Theresa, John Paul and others.

8. Mary's presence in our devotional life and appearances, particularly Fatima.

7. Social doctrine of the Church as a fluid, flexible system of principles, including solidarity and subsidiarity, in contrast to oppressive ideologies including fascism, communism and capitalist libertarianism.

6. The living out of this social vision in varieties of way including: the labor movement, civil rights, pro-life movement, Catholic Worker, Madonna House, L'Arche, Polish Solidarity and others.

5. Multiple streams of Catholic philosophy and theology which retrieved treasures of the past and expressed them in contemporary idioms. These included: Resourcement Theology (DeLubac, Bouyer, Danielou), Neo-Thomism (Maritain, Gilson), phenomenology (Stein, von Hildebrandt), and others. These found quintessential expression in Vatican II and flowered further in the "communio theology" of Balthasar, John Paul and Benedict.

4. Vatican II as the culmination and synthesis of currents of renewal including: ecumenism, liturgy, scripture study, social justice, relationship with other Churches and religions, religious liberty and engagement with society.

3. The catechesis on the human body of John Paul and the encyclical Humanae Vitae of Paul VI as the definitive Catholic response to the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s in the West.

2. The movements of the Holy Spirit in the new evangelical, ecclesial movements and communities, largely lay, including charismatic renewal, Communion and Liberation, and the Neocatechumenal Way.

1. The manifestation of the Divine Mercy as revealed to St. Faustina, manifested in saints like Kolbe and Gioretti, and developed by John Paul.

This is hardly an exhaustive or definitive list but it gives a sense of the marvelous symphony of Catholic life, orchestrated by the Holy Spirit, in recent memory.