On 24 September 1962, the first list of 201 periti chosen for the Council was published.
Cardijn’s name was notably absent.
SOURCE
Stefan Gigacz, The Leaven in the Council, Chapter 7, The Council opens without Cardijn (Australian Cardijn Institute)
Cardijn not a peritus
On 24 September 1962, the first list of 201 Council periti was published.
Surprisingly, Cardijn was included on that list.
What had happened?
Stefan Gigacz writes:
After his prodigious efforts in the Preparatory Commission on Lay Apostolate and the success of Mater et Magistra, he now found himself excluded from the Council’s work.
Was it an oversight, a deliberate decision, or simply the fact that Cardijn, who had never claimed to be a theologian, was about to turn eighty? Who made the decision? Was it the Council secretariat, the Central Preparatory Commission or even Pope John? Was Suenens involved?Whatever the reason, it was a huge disappointment that emerged as the JOCI Executive Committee was about to meet in Berlin, a venue strategically chosen to make an impression on the German bishops.
Source
Stefan Gigacz, The Leaven in the Council, Chapter 7, The Council opens without Cardijn
Graphic
IYCW ExCo meets in Berlin
With the Council only weeks away from opening, the IYCW Executive Committee helds its annual meeting in West Berlin, Germany.
Just one year after the construction of the Berlin Wall had begun, this was quite a significant and symbolic event.
PHOTOS
Bundesarchiv / Wikipedia / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany
Chenu suggests a conciliar Message to the world
On 4 September 1962, French Dominican, Marie-Dominique Chenu, wrote to German theologian, Karl Rahner SJ, proposing that as its first act the Council should issue a “Message to the World.”
Similarly, to Cardijn’s own proposal in the PCLA for such a message, Chenu called for an ‘ample declaration… in the style of the Gospel’ and ‘in the prophetic perspectives of the Old and New Testaments’:
A declaration addressed to humanity where grandeur and distress are… an aspiration for the light of the Gospel and the presence of God the Creator…. A declaration proclaiming the fraternal unity of men, beyond frontiers, races, regimes, – in a refusal of violent solutions, in love of peace, testifying the Kingdom of God.
In his journal, Chenu even claimed that ‘this initiative was inspired.’ He immediately communicated it to several bishops, most of whom were Cardijn allies closely involved with the JOC and other Specialised Catholic Action movements.
SOURCE
Stefan Gigacz, The Leaven in the Council, Chapter 7, The Council opens without Cardijn (Australian Cardijn Institute)
PHOTO
Archives Dominicains de la Province de France / Wikipedia
A strategic plan for the Council
In an undated document that seems to be from just before the opening of the First Session of Vatican II, Cardijn sets out a strategic plan for influencing its work.
I. THE YCW AND THE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL
1. Before, during the first session, during the preparation for the second session: attention, intentions, prayer, sacrifices, all the YCW action
2. Expectation in the YCW and among young workers
3. Attention to the problem of young workers in the world
- its growing importance, one might even say decisive importance for young workers and the working class
- for the Church and for humanity
number of young workers
problems of young workers
solidarity of young workers
4. Faith in the solution
a/ by young workers themselves (formation – action – representation)
b/ concrete problems: preparation – unemployment – leisure – climate
c/ necessary collaborations
5. The YCW and the problem of young workers
And is the movement of young workers
an apostolic and missionary movement
a holistic movement
6. The Church and the problem of young workers
The problem of YCW
Formation and collaboration of the clergy of all members of the Church
THE YCW in, with working youth, the world of today and tomorrow
The YCW and the apostolate of the laity, specialised and coordinated Catholic Action.
II. THE YCW IN ROME
1. Communicate our intentions
2. Prepare the participation of Bishops from all regions, continents, races
Latin, Greek, Malabar Church
JOC in Europe, North America, Australia
in Asia
in Africa
in Latin America
4. Signal discussions on JOC-MIJARC as much as possible
JOC-JEC
JOC-Christian Trade Unions
5. As the meeting cannot last more than two hours, would it not be better to begin immediately with the problem of working youth in the world?
Then, testimonies of bishops from different continents
Then, general questions for bishops to ask
6. Announce special meetings: Asia
Africa
Latin America
North America
Australia
SOURCE
Original French
Joseph Cardijn, La JOC et le Concile (Joseph Cardijn Digital Library)
Joseph Cardijn, The YCW and the Council (Joseph Cardijn Digital Library)