Silence is Golden: Freedom of Speech and the Old Catholic Observer at the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965)

Abstract

At the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), the question of freedom of speech was a very prominent issue, given that the right to speak was regulated and restricted in a variety of ways. This state of affairs is documented by the order for the council, for example. The council, namely, did not only address the question of freedom of speech in theory, but also embodied a concrete practice of freedom of speech within the church itself. Therefore, the question is raised: what role did freedom of speech play for the participants in the council? In order to study this question, I will focus on a particularly interesting— and controversial—group of people present at the council and their role: the ecumenical observers at the Council and the way in which they took part in the deliberations of the Council.