Vatican II

Vatican II, officially known as the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, was a series of meetings held between 1962 and 1965 that made significant changes to the views and practices of the Catholic Church. Involved in this process was Pope John Paul II.

Though the majority of Catholics were unopposed to these changes, a large minority were unhappy and believed this created a schism in their religion. This group was dubbed the "schismatics." The sect was founded by Mark Gelson's father and grew to twenty thousand in the United States alone. The movement eventually culminated in an assassination attempt on John Paul II during the Unity Conference.