A Council for the Global Church: Receiving Vatican II in History
The Second Vatican Council ended in December 1965, but Vatican II is still happening in the global church. Catholicism has always had a universal claim, but the globalization of Catholicism as a truly “world church” became part of Catholic theology only thanks to that gathering—convoked by Blessed John XXIII—of bishops, theologians, lay observers, ecumenical representatives, and journalists.
Vatican II is the most important event in church history after the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, and this book demonstrates why it is the key to understanding Catholicism and its inner tensions today.
Vatican II is the most important event in church history after the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, and this book demonstrates why it is the key to understanding Catholicism and its inner tensions today.
- Publisher Fortress Press
- Format Paperback
- ISBN 9781451472097
- eBook ISBN 9781451496673
- Dimensions 6 x 9
- Pages 350
- Publication Date May 1, 2015
Endorsements
“Massimo Faggioli is regarded as one of the very top analysts of the importance of the Second Vatican Council. This book shows why. It probes the deep significance of the council for today’s global church in a globalizing world.”
—David Hollenbach, SJ
Boston College
“I am a great fan of Massimo Faggioli, whose broad knowledge of the Catholic tradition, awareness of theological trends worldwide, and profound knowledge of Vatican II rank him among the most astute commentators on the council today. You will learn a lot by reading this book.”
—John W. O’Malley, SJ
Georgetown University
“A magisterial achievement. Faggioli has created a brilliant and accessible narrative that is the result of a dozen years of research, reflection, and trenchant scholarship on both the Council and its reception under three popes. If, as he points out, Vatican II is the most important event in Catholic history since the Council of Trent, then Faggioli’s study joins the works of such eminent scholars as Hubert Jedin, John O’Malley, and Giuseppe Alberigo as required reading for those wishing to understand the course of Catholicism in the modern world. Faggioli is a past master at showing how—and why—the tangled story of the interpretation of Vatican cannot be disconnected from the history of the Council itself; with this work, the author has woven together both the history of those interpretations and of the Council to construct a ‘usable past’ for Catholics seeking to understand the five decades of Catholic history. Go out and buy this book.”
—Mark Massa, SJ
Boston College
—David Hollenbach, SJ
Boston College
“I am a great fan of Massimo Faggioli, whose broad knowledge of the Catholic tradition, awareness of theological trends worldwide, and profound knowledge of Vatican II rank him among the most astute commentators on the council today. You will learn a lot by reading this book.”
—John W. O’Malley, SJ
Georgetown University
“A magisterial achievement. Faggioli has created a brilliant and accessible narrative that is the result of a dozen years of research, reflection, and trenchant scholarship on both the Council and its reception under three popes. If, as he points out, Vatican II is the most important event in Catholic history since the Council of Trent, then Faggioli’s study joins the works of such eminent scholars as Hubert Jedin, John O’Malley, and Giuseppe Alberigo as required reading for those wishing to understand the course of Catholicism in the modern world. Faggioli is a past master at showing how—and why—the tangled story of the interpretation of Vatican cannot be disconnected from the history of the Council itself; with this work, the author has woven together both the history of those interpretations and of the Council to construct a ‘usable past’ for Catholics seeking to understand the five decades of Catholic history. Go out and buy this book.”
—Mark Massa, SJ
Boston College