The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) was convened by Pope John XXIII with the mandate to end Catholic dissent, to foster global peace and to shepherd the Church into the modern world. More than 3,000 bishops and theologians attended. The council conceded that Catholicism was not the only means of salvation, condemned anti-Semitism, and decided instead that Catholicism and Protestantism should coexist in an atmosphere of mutual respect. In addition, the Church shifted its power base from the clergy to the laity. Among changes to foster that perspective: the end of the Mass being said exclusively in Latin. The Council also decreed that Scriptures and other religious traditions were to be considered in light of the historical context rather than seen as immutable, and it declared its commitment to preserving human dignity and religious freedom.