The Letter and the Spirit

At the time the expectations related to the Council were rather high. At its convocation Pope John XXIII expressed clearly that he expected nothing less than a new Pentecost from it. In the very last speech of the first session of the Council, Christopher Butler OSB stated: 'the theology of the Church is in some way being reborn' and he reminded the council fathers to see: 'we have the opportunity to show to the eyes of the whole world that are turned upon us a new vision of the unchanging Christ'. What has become of this vision, what has become of the spirit and the letter of the Council more than fifty years after its closure? In this volume we have identified several areas where the question of the interpretation of the Council seems by no means settled. They regard divine revelation and human freedom, mission and dialogue, education and vocation, lay and ordained ministry in the Church. In light of the developments since the Council which rise new questions, the interpretation of both, the forgotten and unforgotten documents of Vatican II continues in critical reflection and fruitful discussion of still unresolved but all the more pressing issues.