Understanding the Decline of Faith Post-Vatican II and What To Do About It

Angie Allen of Catholic Exchange argues that the Second Vatican Council did not cause the decline in Catholic faith and practice, despite claims made by some traditionalists. Allen notes that while certain pastoral strategies and a lack of catechesis regarding traditional teachings may have contributed to the crisis, the Council's actual documents remain clear on core doctrines.

Allen points to the 1965 encyclical Mysterium Fidei by Pope St. Paul VI as evidence that the Council's teachings are not the source of current confusion. The Pope released the encyclical in September 1965, months before the Council concluded, to address errors regarding the Eucharist and to encourage devotion to the Real Presence. In that document, the Pope cited the Council's Sacrosanctum Concilium and Lumen Gentium alongside the teachings of the Council of Trent to affirm the nature of the Eucharist and the sacrifice of the Mass.