Fifty years after Pope John XXIII convened the Vatican Council to make the Catholic Church more easily understandable and relevant in the modern world, questions still arise about the purpose and meaning of Vatican II.
The 50th Anniversary of Vatican II
The legacy can be a controversial subject, with Pope Benedict XVI, a conservative, and James Carroll, a progressive, standing on opposite sides of this debate. The essays of these two men in Vatican II: The Essential Texts (Image Books, Sept. 4, 2012) helps to address the conservative/progressive split in the Church.
Readers can return to these source materials – edited by Norman Tanner — to understand the Church’s developing positions. In addition to the introductions, the documents are accompanied by brief historical prefaces by theologian professor Edward Hahnenberg.
NORMAN TANNER, SJ, is professor of church history at the Gregorian University in Rome.
JAMES CARROLL is the National Book Award-winning author of Practicing Catholic and An American Requiem. He writes widely on Catholic issues and is passionate about the legacy of Vatican II.
EDWARD HAHNENBERG is a professor of theology at Xavier University and the author of A Concise Guide to the Documents of Vatican II.
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