Vatican II: Renewal within Tradition

Abstract

This is a semi-official revisionism on the history, resolutions, and documents of Vatican II. The contributors include Pope Benedict XVI, and a number of cardinals, priests, and theologians. It tries to reconcile the two questions that have bewildered the Catholic Church for a half century; was there the need for reform inside the church and did the Second Vatican Council achieve the reform needed? The title of the book even reflects this dilemma between what constitutes “Renewal” and what defines “Tradition.” The book is a serious and sincere effort to assess the theological significance of Vatican II, and to square its place in the modern history of contemporary civilization. The two editors assembled a strong collection of articles to generate strong discussion of the meaning and consequences of Vatican II. The urgency for the church to adjust to modern realities was found in the rise of the nation state as the political unit. The Catholic Church had to deal with the appeal of Democracy as a system of government, and the process of scientific discoveries with its accompanying modernization. While these developments were not a challenge to the faith as such, they gradually undermined the church dogma. Hence, the authors acknowledge the necessity of recasting the Catholic Church's teachings.