Description: The Second Vatican Council, which ended thirty-five years ago, promised so much: a new vision of a reformed Church aware of its social, theological and ecumenical responsibilities; a truly conciliar Church with collegial structures. However, this vision seems to have evaporated and many of the promised reforms have been truncated or have not happened at all. The Vatican remains intensely bureaucratic. Theologians are silenced and the effect of clerical scandal seems to have led Church leaders to dig in and see the deposit of faith as something static. Once again the Church believes it has a monopoly on the truth and millions of people feel marginalized and excluded.
Brief description: Austen Ivereigh is a British writer, journalist, and commentator on religious and political affairs who holds a PhD from Oxford University. His work appears regularly in the Jesuit magazine America and in many other periodicals, and he is also the author of The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope. He is well-known as a Catholic commentator for the BBC, Sky, ITV, and Al-Jazeera.
Review Quotes: 'the book is a worthwhile...collection...it contains some valuable insights on the unfinished journey of Vatican II.' Brennan R./em>, --Sanford Lakoff "Horizons "