Introductory Essay by Pope Benedict XVI This collection includes the four constitutions of the Second Vatican Council, the most popular and key documents for understanding the Council itself, its decrees, and its declarations. Few events in the history of the modern Catholic Church have been as far-reaching as the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). And few have been as controversial. No one denies great changes have come about since the close of the Council. Have the changes been all good, all bad, or a mixture of both? To what extent were the changes, for good or ill, the result of the Council itself? Some have criticized the Council for not going far enough, though they maintain that the "spirit of Vatican II" supports their rejection of many firmly established Catholic beliefs and practices. Others claim the Council went too far and abandoned certain fundamental Catholic tenets in the name of "updating" the Church. The popes of the Council-John XXII and Paul VI-and their successors who also participated in the Council -John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI-have insisted that the Council itself was the work of the Holy Spirit. They have aggressively criticized misinterpretations and distortions of it. They insist that the Council be understood in fundamental continuity with the Church's Tradition, even while deepening the Church's self-understanding and calling for authentic reforms and renewal of Catholic life. Readers can learn for themselves what the Second Vatican Council taught using this highly accessible collection of its basic texts. This book uses the Catholic Truth Society translation and features: The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, introduced by Cardinal Francis Arinze.The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, introduced by Cardinal Paul Poupard.The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, introduced by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM, Cap.The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, introduced by Cardinal Angelo Scola. Four major aspects of the Church's life-the Sacred Liturgy, the mystery of the Church herself, the Word of God, and the Church in the world as it is today-are explored. No twenty-first-century Catholic should be without these four foundational texts in this superb translation. The collection also includes a general introduction by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, as well as an address given by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2005, explaining how best to understand the Second Vatican Council in the history of the Church.
Douglas Horton, Vatican Diary 1962: A Protestant Observes the First Session of Vatican Council II (Philadelphia: ... A handy sketch in English is Norman P. Tanner, The Councils of the Church: A Short History (New York: Crossroad, 2001).
Taken together, these essays demonstrate that Vatican II's documents are a development from an established antecedent in the Roman Catholic Church. Each chapter contextualizes Vatican II teachings within that rich tradition.
Fr. Blake Britton discovered the truth and beauty of the council while he was in seminary and he has witnessed firsthand the power of its teachings in the life of his own parish.
Carefully researched, the book is written in the clear, accessible style that readers of previous works by O'Collins will recognize.
The Second Vatican Council: A Unwritten Story
Vatican II: The Essential Texts brings together the key documents of the council.
As Catholics continue to debate the meaning and impact of Vatican II, they will find this book an indispensable guide for understanding what actually took place there behind the scenes.
She has authored several books, including Decoding Vatican II: Interpretation and Ongoing Reception (Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press, 2014), The Groupe des Dombes: A Dialogue of Conversion (New York: Peter Lang, 2005), and Keys to the ...
... council. Finally, the last two chapters make a statement about the nature of the Church's mission in the world of today in light of Vatican II: a council for the global Church. The permanent value of 330 A COUNCIL FOR THE GLOBAL CHURCH.
An informative and accessible guide to everything you want to know about Vatican II.