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Historically, the way that the Catholic Church decides doctrinal debates and moral teaching is through dialogue among church authorities and officials--this is what is traditionally called a council or synod. The Catholic Church distinguishes between two types of councils, ecumenical councils and synods or provincial councils. Ecumenical councils are authoritative while synods or provincial councils are mere discussions that do not retain any authoritative status. The very first ecumenical council was the Council of Nicea (convened in the fourth century) and was mainly a response to what is known in Church History as the “Arian Crisis,” a heretical teaching about the Trinity which purported that Jesus Christ was created by God the Father, verses being con-substantial with the Father.<ref>For more on the Arian Crisis see: Irvin & Sunquist, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570753962/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1570753962&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=e2c0001c899f9e94c69afd85c315b12c History of the World Christian Movement]</i>. (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 2008).</ref>
During this council the Nicene Creed as formulated, which is still used and recited during services today. The last ecumenical council happens to Vatican II, the topic of our discussion in this article. In the words of Pope John XXIII, “The major interest of the Ecumenical Council is this: that the sacred heritage of Christian truth be safeguarded and expounded with greater efficacy.”<ref>Pope John XXIII. <i>Opening Address to the Vatican II Council</i>, October 11,1962.</ref>In other words, this council was convened in order to renew and reinvigorate the life of the church and to refine the sacred deposit of faith.</ref>
===The Church in the Modern World===
