Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Avery Dulles | John W. O’MalleyFebruary 24, 2003

On the fortieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, two distinguished Jesuit theologians looked back on the council and reflected on what really happened. John W. O'Malley argues in "The Style of Vatican II" that "Vatican II cannot be interpreted in a minimal sense. Vatican II is in need of further implementation especially in its greatest achievement, a redefinition of the way the church operates, does business." 

Cardinal Dulles took a different tack in "Vatican II: Myth and Reality." In a list of common misinterpretations of the Councl, ne hotes the view that "God continues to reveal himself in secular experience through the signs of the times, which therefore provide criteria for interpreting the Gospel." In fact Vatican II taught that "revelation became complete in Jesus Christ and that no further public revelation is to be expected before the end of time, when Christ returns in glory."

Read "The Style of Vatican II."

Read "Vatican II: Myth and Reality."

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Candles and a photo of Pope Francis are seen in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, where the Pontiff is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis has had a severe breathing crisis today that required giving him high-flow oxygen and blood transfusions.
Gerard O’ConnellFebruary 22, 2025
Is the pope out of danger? No. Is he in danger of death right now? Also no.
Gerard O’ConnellFebruary 21, 2025
Emergency workers carry the body of a person killed during a Russian drone and missile strike Sept. 4, 2024, on residential buildings in Lviv, Ukraine. (OSV News photo/Roman Baluk, Reuters)
The White House began an effort to restore relations with Russia as President Trump repeats Russia’s narrative and talking points about the origins of the war on Ukraine.
Kevin ClarkeFebruary 21, 2025
Joining Ashley and Zac to cover the cosmos on this week’s episode of “Jesuitical” is Guy Consolmagno, S.J., the director of the Vatican Observatory and author of the new book, A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars: Exploring Wonder, Beauty, and Science.
JesuiticalFebruary 21, 2025