Slovenian Post-Conciliar Contextual Theology: Anton Strle’s Reception of Vatican II

The article presents a case study of a local reception of the Second Vatican Council through the lense of a prominent Slovenian theologian, Prof. Anton Strle (1915-2003), and analyses his introductions to the four conciliar constitutions (Lumen Gentium, Dei Verbum, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Gaudium et Spes), published alongside their Slovenian translations during and immediately after the Council. By means of descriptive textual analysis, the article provides an insight into reception of the Council in a small and linguistically limited environment of the post-WWII Yugoslavia. Key findings include: (1) Strle’s pivotal role as a mediator of the Council in a linguistically small environment, fostering post-conciliar renewal through teaching and contextualization; (2) his exemplification of hermeneutic of fidelity, rooted in fidelity to the conciliar texts and the deposit of faith, doctrinal continuity and development; (3) the prominence of Ecclesial Christology in his reception, bringing together conciliar ecclesiology (Church as the Mystical body, sacrament and communion) with the centrality of Christ for the Church and the Council; and (4) practical applications urging the Church’s Eucharistic gathering for evangelization of the world. By synthetizing Strle’s understudied texts, this study bridges the gap of understanding the reception of the Council in smaller nations and linguistically limited environments, demonstrating Ecclesial Christology as the exemplary fruit of the hermeneutic of fidelity for faithful conciliar implementation in any age.