1. Nor did the Holy Year stem the tide of defections on the part of the laity.

2. Renewal, that is, the acquisition by the Church of new strength in the enriching freshness of her sources, in order to be able to meet the new challenges of new times with the vigour and enthusiasm of a restored body and spirit: this renewal (or «aggiornamento»), which was one of the fundamental aims and, in a certain way, a characteristic note of the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council, was also the first of the purposes that we fixed – for the Church and for each of the faithful – for the celebration of the Holy Year.