The Oxford Handbook of Vatican II is a rich source of information and reflections on many aspects of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), one of the most significant religious events of the twentieth century. The chapters introduce readers to the historical context and outstanding features of the conciliar event, and its principal teachings on Scripture and Tradition, the church, liturgy, religious liberty, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, church-world relations, and mission. Consideration is given to some neglected aspects of the council, including: the forgotten papal speeches that lay out its fundamental orientation and ought to guide its interpretation; the presence and contributions of women; and the non-reception of the council among Catholic traditionalists. Ecumenical scholars reflect on the significance of Vatican II for the life of other Christian churches and the search for Christian unity; others examine Catholic dialogue with other religious traditions. Surveying the diverse receptions of the council in the perspective of a world church, chapters focusing on Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, Oceania, and Europe reflect on the interpretation and influence of the council and its teaching on the life of the church in diverse cultural contexts. This Handbook will serve as a valuable guide to one of the most important events and bodies of Catholic teaching since the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century, to the interpretation of the council’s teaching, and to its continuing role in guiding the life of the church in the twenty-first century.
Edited by Catherine E. Clifford, St Paul University, and Massimo Faggioli, Villanova University
Catherine E. Clifford is Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology in the Faculty of Theology, Saint Paul University, Ottawa, where she also serves as founding Director of the Research Centre on Vatican II and Twenty-First-Century Catholicism. She holds a PhD (Theology) from the University of St Michel’s College, Toronto (2002) and a Licentiate in Theology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland (1987). Her research and teaching interests lie in the areas of ecclesiology, ecumenism, and the history of Vatican II, with a particular emphasis on the understanding of ecclesial reform, the development of doctrines, and the diversity of Christian communions within the world Christian movement. She is actively engaged in ecumenical work, and presently serves as a member of the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission.
Massimo Faggioli is Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University (Philadelphia). He previously held a teaching post at the John XXIII Foundation for Religious Studies in Bologna (1996-2008), and was founding co-chair (2012-2017) of the Vatican II Studies group at the American Academy of Religion. He is the author ofA Council for the Global Church: Receiving Vatican II in History (2015) and The Liminal Papacy of Pope Francis: Moving Toward Global Catholicity (2020).
Contributors:
John F. Baldovin, Boston College
John Beal, Catholic University of America
Stephen Bevans, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago
John Borelli, Georgetown University
Radu Bordeianu, Duquesne University
James T. Bretzke, John Carroll University
David Carter, Methodist preacher, Bristol, UK
Mark D. Chapman, University of Oxford
Catherine E. Clifford, St Paul University
Peter De Mey, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Piero Doria, Vatican Apostolic Archive
Massimo Faggioli, Villanova University
Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald
Brian P. Flanagan, Marymount University
Richard R. Gaillardetz, Boston College
David Grumett, University of Edinburgh
Regina Heyder, Universität Bonn
Peter Hünermann, University of Tübingen
Shaji George Kochuthara, Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram
Mathijs Lamberigts, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Alberto Melloni, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Paul Murray, Durham University
Serena Noceti, Higher Institute of Religious Sciences in Florence
Donald W. Norwood, United Reformed Church minister, Oxford, UK
Gerald O’Collins, Jesuit Theological College
John W. O’Malley, Georgetown University
Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, Hekima College Jesuit School of Theology
John Pawlikowski, Catholic Theological Union
Tim Perry, Providence University College
Peter Phan, Georgetown University
Salvador Pié-Ninot, Pontifical Gregorian University
Jane E. Regan, Boston College
Andrea Riccardi, La Terza University
Gilles Routhier, Laval University
Philippe Roy-Lysencourt, Laval University
Federico Ruozzi, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
William G. Rusch, Yale Divinity School
Ormond Rush, Australian Catholic University
Hans-Joachim Sander, University of Salzburg
Silvia Scatena, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Carlos Schickendantz, Universidad Alberto Hurtado
Joachim Schmiedl, Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Vallendar
Matthew A. Shadle, Marymount University
Norman P. Tanner, Pontifical Gregorian University
Introduction, Catherine E. Clifford and Massimo Faggioli
I Context and Sources
1:From Trent and Vatican I to Vatican II, John W. O Malley
2:Historical Context of Vatican II: Church and World, Massimo Faggioli
3:Movements of Ressourcement in Theology: Foundations for a Council of Renewal, David Grumett
4:Editions of the Council Documents in English, Norman Tanner, SJ
5:An Archive for Vatican II, Piero Doria
6:Other Sources for the Study of Vatican II: Journalistic Accounts, Personal Diaries, Published Reports by Observers, and the Mass Media, Federico Ruozzi
7:The Unique Character of Vatican II’s Teaching, Peter Hünermann
II The Council Documents
8:Expunged and Forgotten Texts and Messages of Vatican II, Alberto Melloni
9:The Constitution on Sacred Liturgy, John F. Baldovin, SJ
10:The Ecclesiology of Vatican II, Richard Gaillardetz
11:Gaudium et Spes: From the Binary Church-World to the Triad Church-World-Pastorality, Hans-Joachim Sander
12:Vatican II’s Theology of Revelation, Gerald O Collins, SJ
13:Church Governance and Forms of Christian Vocation, Joachim Schmiedl
14:Faith Formation in Light of Vatican II, Jane E. Regan
15:Vatican II’s Missiology: Foundation for a Missionary Church, Stephen Bevans, SVD
16:Religious Liberty at Vatican II, Silvia Scatena
17:Ecumenism: A Principal Concern of the Second Vatican Council, Catherine E. Clifford
18:Interreligious Dialogue at Vatican II, John Borelli
19:Women and the Council: Catholic Women s Organizations and Women Theologians Prior to and During Vatican II, Regina Heyder
III Catholic Reception
20:Vatican II and the Theology of Reception, Gilles Routhier
21:The History of Conciliar Reception, Salvador Pié-Ninot
22:The Reception of the Second Vatican Council by Traditionalist Catholics, Philippe Roy-Lysencourt
23:The Papacy and Vatican II, Andrea Riccardi
24:The Reception of Vatican II in Systematic Theology, Paul D. Murray
25:Moral Theology and the Paradigm Shift of Vatican II, James T. Bretzke, SJ
26:New Wine, Old Wineskins: The Reception of Vatican II in Canon Law, John Beal
27:Theologians, Theologies, Church: Feminist Theologies in the Process of the Reception of Vatican II, Serena Nocetti
IV Reception by Other Christians and Non-Christians
28:Non-Catholic Observers at Vatican II, Peter De Mey
29:The Reception of Vatican II by the Orthodox Church, Radu Bordeianu
30:The Reception of Vatican II by Anglicans, Mark D. Chapman
31:The Reception of Vatican II by Lutheran Churches, William G. Rusch
32:Reformed Reception of Vatican II, Donald W. Norwood
33:The Methodist Reception of Vatican II, David Carter
34:Evangelicals and the Reception of the Second Vatican Council, Tim Perry
35:Catholic-Jewish Relations in Light of Nostra Aetate: A New Era, John Pawlikowski, OSM
36:Nostra Aetate: A Guide for Ongoing Inter-religious Dialogue, Michael Fitzgerald
37:Vatican II and Interreligious Dialogue: The Catholic Church and Asian Religions, Peter Phan
V: Global Reception
38:Catholicism and International Affairs Since Vatican II, Matthew A. Shadle
39:Reception of Vatican II in Asia, Shaji George Kochuthara, CMI
40:The Impact, Reception, and Implementation of Vatican II in Africa, Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, SJ
41:Reception of Vatican II in Latin America and the Caribbean, Carlos Schickendantz
42:Reception of Vatican II in North America, Brian P. Flanagan
43:Reception of Vatican II in Europe, Mathijs Lamberigts
44:Receiving the Vision of Vatican II in Oceania, Ormond Rush
“The Oxford Handbook of Vatican II attempts a Herculean task…Those in the English speaking world who teach Catholic theology now have a book at hand that comprehensively considers virtually every important post-conciliar subject, filled with references and additional resources, against which scholars and average Catholics can crosscheck their arguments and intuitions.” – Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter
“For those who know little of the council, the book is the perfect primer. For those called to preach or teach in the name of the church, it becomes an invaluable guide, from university professors to parish priests to catechists.” – Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter
