Here Solomon continues his discussion of what has changed within the Catholic Church since the 18th century, as it was formalized by Vatican II. He makes it clear that many of the components that Swedenborg found so offensive have been done away with. Others have not. As a reader of Swedenborg it is important to have a sense of the present, as otherwise one may be inclined to fight battles that have already ended peacefully. Solomon helps us find this understanding. If you happened to miss Part 1, you can find it here. -Editor.

Sole Interpreter of the Word

Another thing that Swedenborg criticized about the 18th century Catholic church was that it claimed to be the sole interpreter of the Word, and that what the church said was actually placed above what the Word said (NJHD 8; AR 737.2, 836, 914.2). Has this changed? The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation of Vatican II states that “This teaching office is not above the word of God but serves it” (Curran p. 11, 147). Because of the overturning of the hierarchy of power in the church, it was recognized that the church as a teacher was not to be considered above learning itself (see Curran pp. 105, 111-112, 147). As a result, both the “clergy and laity are now much better educated and informed” (Curran p. 105). And as one author states:

Whatever the role of Rome in the church of the future will be, the old slogan “Roma locuta, causa finita” (Rome has spoken, and that is the end of the matter) is no longer accepted by the overwhelming majority of Catholics. (Dwyer pp. 394-395)