When an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church is concluded and its participants go home, what is supposed to take place? Will its decisions become part of the life of congregations and dioceses throughout the world? And if so, how? These questions ask about the process of that council's "reception."-Theological Studies
Twenty years have passed since the Second Vatican Council ended its work, and still the spiritual powers of the Council have not been fully revealed. Editors Alberigo, Jossua, and Komonchak bring together these sixteen essays as one of the first assessments of the "reception" of Vatican II. Originally published in Italian and French, and later in German, this English edition is organized into sections covering the context of the reception, central themes of the reception, themes insufficiently received, and rejections of the Council. Included as an appendix is an analysis of the 1985 Synod of Bishops written by Avery Dulles, S.J.