Second Vatican Council on Continuation of spiritual gifts

Open in principle, cautious in practice

THE POSITION

Lumen Gentium 12 teaches that the Spirit gives charisms to the faithful of every rank, the outstanding and the ordinary, to be received with thanksgiving. Extraordinary gifts are not to be sought rashly, and judging them belongs to the church's leaders, "not indeed to extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things and hold fast to that which is good."

6 OTHERS HOLD THIS

ABOUT THIS FIGURE

Met in St Peter's Basilica in four autumn sessions, opened by John XXIII and closed under Paul VI. It issued sixteen documents (four constitutions, nine decrees and three declarations) on revelation, the church, the liturgy, ecumenism, religious freedom and the church in the modern world. It set out to renew how the church teaches rather than to define new dogma, and issued no anathemas. The Catholic Church counts it the twenty-first ecumenical council. Quoted from the English translations on vatican.va; the official text is Latin.