Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, was one of the chief accomplishments of the Second Vatican Council. Approved by a vote of 2,307 to 75 of the bishops assembled at the council, and was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on December 7, 1965. As is customary with Catholic documents, the title is from the first sentence and means "Joy and Hope" in Latin. (The full text in English is available through the Holy See's website.)

Contents

The numbers given correspond to section numbers within the text.

1. Preface (1-3)
2. Introduction: The Situation of Men in the Modern World (4-10)
3. Part 1: The Church and Man's Calling (11-45)
   1. The Dignity of the Human Person (12-22)
   2. The Community of Mankind (23-32)
   3. Man's Activity Throughout the World (33-39)
   4. The Role of the Church in the Modern World (40-45)
4. Part 2: Some Problems of Special Urgency (46-93)
   1. Fostering the Nobility of Marriage and the Family (47-52)
   2. The Proper Development of Culture (53-62)
      1. The Circumstances of Culture in the World Today (54-56)
      2. Some Principles for the Proper Development of Culture (57-59)
      3. Some More Urgent Duties of Christians in Regard to Culture (60-62)
   3. Economic and Social Life (63-72)
      1. Economic Development (64-66)
      2. Certain Principles Governing Socio-Economic Life as a Whole (67-72)
   4. The Life of the Political Community (73-76)
   5. The Fostering of Peace and the Promotion of a Community of Nations (77-93)
      1. The Avoidance of War (79-82)
      2. Setting Up an International Community (83-93)