Why read What Happened at Vatican II?

Book cover of What Happened at Vatican II

Book description

During four years in session, Vatican Council II held television audiences rapt with its elegant, magnificently choreographed public ceremonies, while its debates generated front-page news on a near-weekly basis. By virtually any assessment, it was the most important religious event of the twentieth century, with repercussions that reached far beyond…

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Why read it?

1 author picked What Happened at Vatican II as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ambrogio A. Caiani

Author

Picking up a book on one of Christianity’s most complex and problematic councils is not for the faint-hearted.

I loved O’Malley’s ability to turn this meeting of over two thousand bishops into a gripping narrative about disagreement, debate, and renewal. What could have been a dry book about theology in his hands becomes a brilliant reflection on the internal divisions of the church and its relationship with progress. His careful eye for anecdotes and dignified humour is particularly attractive.

Unlike so many other close-minded Catholics, O’Malley is not scared to admit the politics of the council, its legacy, and its…

From Ambrogio's list on Ambrogio A. Caiani's favorite books on politics and Catholicism during the twentieth century.