Big perspectives on a big meeting -- The long nineteenth century -- The council opens -- The first period (1962) : the lines are drawn -- The second period (1963) : a majority prevailing -- The third period (1964) : triumphs and tribulations -- The fourth
period (1965) : bringing the ship into port.
"During four years in session, Vatican Council II held television audiences rapt with its elegant, magnificently choreographed public ceremonies, while its debates generated front-page news on a near-weekly basis. By virtually any assessment, it was the most important religious event of the twentieth century, with repercussions that reached far beyond the Catholic church. Remarkably enough, this is the first book, solidly based on official documentation, to give a brief, readable account of the council from the moment Pope John XXIII announced it on January 25, 1959, until its conclusion on December 8, 1965." -- Back cover.
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