Towards a new vision of the laity and their mission : an exploration of the response of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary to the Vatican II documents

Abstract

The present study explores how the guiding principles and aspirations of the II Vatican Council concerning the theological status and significance of the laity and their involvement in the apostolic mission of God come to fruition in the `movement church' within the Roman Catholic Church of Hungary. The restoration of the lay status and function, distorted through the centuries in the Roman Catholic Church worldwide, is a crucial and indispensable task of the Roman Catholic Church if she wants to fulfil her prophetic, pastoral and holistic mission. This is indispensable for the Church to become what she really is, the eschatological people of God. Two revival movements in the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary are studied: the Bokor Movement and the Roman Catholic Charismatic Movement from the perspective of the role of the laity.