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Document Details : Title: Willy Onclin, Louvain Canon Lawyer, Peritus at Vatican II Author(s): LAMBERIGTS, Mathijs Journal: Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses Volume: 100 Issue: 3-4 Date: 2024 Pages: 581-621 DOI: 10.2143/ETL.100.3.3293827 Abstract : Willy Onclin (1905-1989), professor of canon law at the Catholic University of Leuven (1937-1975), was, from 1940 until 1989, a member of the editorial board of ETL. In this article, we will focus on the role of Onclin as conciliar peritus at the Second Vatican Council. Although substantial documentation on his role is preserved in his papers, archived at the Centre for the Study of Vatican II (Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven), the documentation present in the Archivio Apostolico Vaticano and in other archives substantially enriches our knowledge about the work of Onclin at the Council. After a short survey of Onclin’s activities in the preparatory period, we first discuss his role in the drafting of the decree Christus Dominus, a decree dealing with the pastoral office of the bishops. Onclin contributed substantially to the creation of this text as from the first intersession onwards. He did this in close collaboration with Mgr. Veuillot, auxiliary bishop-coadjutor of Paris. Next, we present his role in the conciliar Commission on Seminaries and Universities, Onclin also becoming member of this commission since October 1963. In this commission, Onclin was actively involved in the document on Catholic universities, but he also offered many services to this commission as an excellent expert on Latin and canon law and this both for the decree on priestly formation (Optatam totius) and the declaration on Catholic education (Gravissimum educationis). We also pay attention to his appointment as assistant-secretary of the Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law, a clear recognition of this work as canon lawyer during the Council. During the drafting of the document on Catholic education, there was a serious debate regarding Thomas Aquinas’s place in Catholic schools and universities. In this debate, Onclin was of the opinion that a Council should not promote one specific teacher of the Church at the risk of neglecting or minimizing other Church teachers. Although several members of the commission shared Onclin’s position, in the end Thomas would be mentioned explicitly in the document. This study also illustrates the way in which Onclin collaborated with Mgr. P. Felici, secretary general of the Council, the latter asking Onclin several times for advice on complex matters such as mixed marriages. The article concludes by showing how much Onclin’s work was also appreciated by Paul VI. |
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