A Brief History of Vatican II

A Brief History
of Vatican II
Giuseppe Alberigo
Translated by
Matthew Sherry
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English translation copyright © 2006 by Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York, U.S.A.
This book is a translation of the original Italian edition of the book, Breve Storia
del Concilio Vaticano II (1959-1962), copyright © 2005 by Società editrice Mulino,
Bologna (Italy) by Matthew Sherry. For more on the Mulino publishing program
see www.mulino.it.
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Cover: On 25 December 1961 Pope John XXIII signs the document convoking
Vatican Council II (photo from Catholic News Service).
Manufactured in the United States of America.
English manuscript editing and typesetting by Joan Weber Laflamme.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Alberigo, Giuseppe.
[Breve storia del Concilio Vaticano II. English]
A brief history of Vatican II / Giuseppe Alberigo ; translated by Matthew Sherry.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978–1–57075–638–2 (pbk.)
1. Vatican Council (2nd : 1962–1965) I. Title.
BX8301962 .A55 2006
262'.52—dc22
2005035076
Contents
Foreword by John W. O’Malley, SJ
vii
Preface
ix
Acknowledgments
xv
1 The Proclamation of the Council (1959-1962)
1
2 Toward a Conciliar Consciousness (1962)
21
3 The Council Matures (1963)
43
4 The Church Is a Communion (1964)
63
5 The Faith Lives within History (1965)
93
6 For the Renewal of Christianity
119
Notes
131
Important Dates Connected with Vatican II
135
Index
139
v