As she attempts to interpret and implement the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church is reexamining her relationship with the world, other faiths, and fellow Christians.
This guide provides a number of useful resources. Use the tabs above to explore these resources.
Housed in the Media Resources Collection at OSF Library.
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The second Vatican Council is unquestionably the most significant event for the Roman Catholic Church and Roman Catholic theology in the twentieth century.
As she attempts to interpret and implement the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church is reexamining her relationship with the world, other faiths, and fellow Christians.
This guide surveys the history of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the sixteen documents it officially generated. Selected materials are highlighted to help one investigate the vision of Catholic faith presented by the council from a theological perspective. The context of the council will also be treated, along with the visions articulated by Blessed Pope John XXIII, who called the council, and Pope Paul VI, who presided over it and promulgated its documents. In addition we will study the council's continuity with the previous Tradition of Catholic theology
"I want to throw open the windows of the Church so that we can see out and the people can see in." Pope John XXIII
“Aggiornamento” literally meaning "bringing up to date," was one of the key words used during Vatican II. It was used to mean a spirit of change and open-mindedness. It was the name given to the pontifical program of Pope John XXIII in a speech he gave on January 25, 1959. The conciliar document most often associated with the term is Gaudium et Spes.
(The rival term used was "ressourcement" which meant a return to earlier sources, traditions and symbols of the early Church. Many clergy could be categorized as belonging to either camp. Aggiornamentos were seen as looking to the future in a post-Tridentine Church, while ressourcement members were seen as attempting to look back to the church before Trent for a simpler liturgy and less Rome-orientated leadership style.)
Vatican II in plain English / by Bill Huebsch.
Vatican Council II : the basic sixteen documents : constitutions, decrees, declarations : a completely revised translation in inclusive language / general editor, Austin Flannery.
The theology of Vatican II / Christopher Butler.
What happened at Vatican II / John W. O'Malley.
Vatican II : did anything happen? / John W. O'Malley.
The Church : the evolution of Catholicism / Richard P. McBrien.
Sacramentum mundi: an encyclopedia of theology / edited by Karl Rahner ... [et al.]
Concise Sacramentum Mundi
