Recognition of past mistakes has led the church to better practices and pastoral care. The events of the Second Vatican Council have shown that the church is willing to look at its problems and past mistakes and then attempt to solve them. By recognizing that what they were doing was alienating their followers, the church decided to eliminate or change many of their laws and policies on things such as the Catholic mass, the place of the Church in the modern world and the lives of Catholics around the world. This has led to the Catholic Church becoming a friendlier and more welcoming place.
             What is Vatican 2? On October 11, 1962, around two thousand
             Catholic bishops, cardinals, and other members of the hierarchy assembled in Rome for the Second Vatican Council. This extraordinary event, which lasted three years, would lead to major changes within the Church. Although the average Catholic only sees Vatican II as being an event which changed the way mass was run, it is much more than that. The Second Vatican Council was started in an attempt to reshape the Catholic Church's place in society. The Council looked at all of the church's laws and policies concerning a wide variety of areas including mass, the lives of Catholics and the place of the Church in the modern world. The Church had recognized that it needed to change.
             Thanks to the Second Vatican Council. There were many changes made. The most noticeable changes for the average Catholic were the ones that concerned the Catholic mass. Prior to the Second Vatican Council the mass was performed in Latin instead of the local language. This meant that anyone who did not understand Latin did not understand the mass. Another thing to change was the mass becoming more fun and enjoyable for the patrons. Before the Second Vatican Council, the popular conception was that it was boring and not interesting. People felt that they would have to go and sit on hard, wooden seats and li...