John W. O'Malley

Vatican II John W. O'Malley

First announced by Pope John XXIII in 1959, the Second Vatican Council was the first of its kind in a hundred years. From 1962 and 1965, religious leaders from around the globe convened to discuss doctrinal issues in desperate need of renewal. Vatican II concluded more than fifty years ago, but it’s a livelier topic today than it has been for decades. Fundamental questions are being reopened. The author of the definitive book on the council, What Happened at Vatican II (Harvard University, 2008), Fr. John O’Malley, brings you up to speed on the essential details of Vatican II in twelve easy-to-use lectures. Fr. O’Malley outlines the underlying issues that rocked the council and highlights their significance for Catholics today. How is the church to engage in dialogue with non-Christian religions? How can it overcome its Eurocentric approach to “new churches” in other parts of the world? As you explore the answers to these questions and others, you will reflect on the structure of the liturgy and its deeper meanings. By the end, you will have received a thorough orientation to “the biggest meeting in the history of the world.” You will have a new appreciation for the problems it faced, and a new outlook on the questions being asked about the council—and the Catholic Church—today.