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Voices from the Council

Voices from the Council

A rare and personal perspective on the Second Vatican Council, drawing from the stories of the men  and women  who were there.
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They were architects of sweeping change in the Church. Of the thousands who participated in the Second Vatican Council, few are still alive. What do they think about it now, 40 years later? Voices from the Council offers a rare and personal perspective on that momentous gathering, drawing from the stories of the men and women who were there.

The book contains interviews with and reflections from more than 30 of the most prominent cardinals, bishops and theologians of our era, as well as journalists and ecumenical observers, including:

Francis Cardinal Arinze
Gregory Baum
Edmond Bliven
Primo Carlo Braga
Charles Albert Buswell
Lucien Deiss, CSSp
Frank Marcus Fernando
Joseph Gelineau, SJ
Pierre-Marie Gy, OP
James M. Hayes
Raymond G. Hunthausen
Denis Eugene Hurley, OMI
Pierre Jounel
Robert Blair Kaiser
William Cardinal Keeler
Columba Kelly, OSB
Franz Cardinal König
Irving R. Levine
Piero Marini
Dr. Martin Marty
Myles McKeon
Frederick R. McManus
Bernard Olivier, OP
William Edward Power
Brother Roger of Taizé
Remi Joseph De Roo
Edward Schillebeeckx, OP
Adrianus Cardinal Simonis
Leobard DSouza
Mary Luke Tobin, SL
Donald Trautman
Augusto Trujillo Arango
Gennaro Verolino

Scholarly in content but conversational in style, this meticulously researched book also includes:

  • Brilliant theological insights with reflections on the Council documents, the Church and the pontificates of Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II
  • Voices from six continents: Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, North America and Australia
  • Charming vignettes that reveal the humor and human side of the Council, including the hilarious story of the Australian bishop who ignored the time limit on presentations and only sat down again at the boisterous urging of the entire assembly
  • Foreword by Monsignor James P. Moroney, Executive Director of the Bishops Committee on the Liturgy (BCL) Secretariat
  • Profiles and photographs for each interviewee, plus photographs from the Council sessions
  • Pope John XXIII's address opening the Second Vatican Council