The great contribution of the Second Vatican Council is found not merely in the council documents themselves but also in the theological and pastoral reflection following in the wake of that historic event. Thus in a sense, the work of the council is still going on. The twenty-five years that followed Vatican II witnessed a burgeoning of scholarship and renewed practice that was authenticated and encouraged by the council. This book and its two companion volumes is a systematic attempt to gauge the accomplishments of the Second Vatican Council during its sessions from 1962 to 1965 and in subsequent years. The publishing
venture was conceived and carried out by the three university institutions of the Society of Jesus in Rome: the Gregorian University, the Biblical Institute and the Oriental Institute. In all, sixty-seven professors
representing nearly twenty countries contributed to the volumes. The complete contents of all three volumes can be found in the back of this book.
Volume II begins by weighing the impact of the Second Vatican Council on the liturgical and sacra- mental life of the church. The middle section of the book takes a closer look at the notion of “church” and how it has been shaped by conciliar, canonical and ecumenical developments since the council. The third and final section of this volume evaluates the anthropological assumptions of Vatican II and how they have worked out in terms of human rights, moral theology and eschatology.