Optatam Totius, the Second Vatican Council's own 1965 decree on priestly training, is a primary conciliar document, not independent theological scholarship. Its authority is that of the council itself: it is the reliable record of what the church's bishops actually decided about seminary formation. Its limit is that it speaks entirely in the church's own voice and cannot report on how that formation was carried out afterward or how theologians have since assessed it. Cite it for what the council itself said; a claim about post-conciliar seminary practice needs an independent historical study.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
Reliability tier 1: a primary conciliar document, the reliable record of what the council's bishops actually decided though not an account of how that decision was carried out afterward. NotesThe Second Vatican Council's own decree Optatam Totius on priestly training (1965); the conciliar instrument itself, not independent theological analysis.
Custodian
Custodian SourceYes
Custodian BodySecond Vatican Council
Custodian BasisA decree of an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church in its own name. Authoritative for what the Church requires in its own formation of clergy.
Citation
AuthorSecond Vatican Council
PublisherHoly See
Publication Year1965
Source Typeprimary-text
Claims Backed By This Source (11 claims)
This source backs 11 claims across the atlas. As facts: 10 well-attested. Plus 1 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sources, 10 claims: 10 well-attested.
- Religious Organization & Structure, 1 claims: 1 general references.
General References
1Religious Organization & Structure
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