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

Chinese rescue workers stand at the site of a collapsed building in Mandalay, Myanmar, March 31, 2025, in the aftermath of a strong earthquake that struck three days earlier. People in Myanmar are in desperate need of humanitarian supplies and medical support as the death toll from the devastating earthquake that rocked central Myanmar continues to rise. (OSV News/Reuters)
“Hospitals are overwhelmed, and people are sleeping out on the streets, anywhere they can, in fields and playgrounds and religious compounds.”
Kevin ClarkeApril 02, 2025
As we enter into Holy Week, join America Media for a subscriber-only virtual event with James Martin, S.J., and ‘Jesuitical’ hosts Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless.
America StaffApril 01, 2025
“Having a sensory room in a place of worship is probably more important than anywhere else because everyone should feel welcome in their faith.”
Sean QuinnApril 01, 2025
Sports hasn't always been the most popular topic among America's editors and contributors—unless it was the Grand Old Game, baseball.
James T. KeaneApril 01, 2025