The Second Vatican Council ended in December 1965, but Vatican II is still happening in the global church. Catholicism has always had a universal claim, but the globalization of Catholicism as a truly world church became part of Catholic theology only thanks to that gatheringconvoked by Blessed John XXIIIof bishops, theologians, lay observers, ecumenical representatives, and journalists.

Vatican II is the most important event in church history after the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, and this book demonstrates why it is the key to understanding Catholicism and its inner tensions today.