Inside Story of Vatican II , livre ebook

TAN Books - S.V.D. Rev. Fr. Ralph Wiltgen

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208 pages

English

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Only two years after the Second Vatican Council concluded in 1965, Catholics around the world welcomed the publication of The Rhine Flows Into the Tiber, a history of the Council published worldwide in four languages. Widely hailed for its balanced, factual reporting, this eye-opening insider's account was written by Rev. Ralph M. Wiltgen, a priest and professional journalist who was an eyewitness with unparalleled access to the principal figures and events of the Council.The Inside Story of Vatican II is a revised, updated edition of that ground-breaking contemporary account, which details in particular the crucial influence on the Council's proceedings exerted by its German-speaking bishops. As Catholics continue to debate the meaning and impact of Vatican II, they will find this book an indispensable guide for understanding what actually took place there behind the scenes.

Sujets

Christianity

History of religions

Catholic Church

Christian theology

Philosophie et théologie

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Publié par	TAN Books
Date de parution	01 décembre 1991
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781618906397
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0374€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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T HE T ITLE OF T HIS B OOK
[ Editor’s note: The original title of this book was The Rhine Flows Into the Tiber: A History of Vatican II . On this page and in the “Author’s Preface,” the author’s references to the book by its original title have been retained.]
The title of this book captures a key insight which emerges from its pages. The largest and most influential group at the Council was made up of Council Fathers and periti (experts) from countries along the Rhine River—Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands—and from nearby Belgium. This “European Alliance” is represented in the title by “The Rhine,” while “The Tiber” stands for Vatican Council II itself, which was held in St. Peter’s Basilica in the immediate vicinity of the Tiber. Thus, the title neatly sums up the fact that the Fathers from the Rhine countries exercised a predominating influence on the Second Vatican Council.

Nihil Obstat: Gall Higgins, O.F.M. Cap. Censor Librorum Imprimatur: Terence J. Cooke, D.D., V.G. New York, N.Y. December 15, 1966
The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed.
Copyright © 1967 by Rev. Ralph M. Wiltgen, S.V.D. Edition with new Preface copyright © 1978 by Rev. Ralph M. Wiltgen, S.V.D.
This book was first published in 1967 by Hawthorne Books in New York, New York, under the title The Rhine Flows Into the Tiber: A History of Vatican II . The “Author’s Preface” was added in a 1978 edition by Augustine Publishing Company in Devon, England. The 1978 edition was reprinted in 1985 by TAN Books. This new TAN revised edition has been re-typeset with minor updates and corrections and a new “Publisher’s Note.”
“Publisher’s Note” by Robert M. Gallagher copyright © 2014 by TAN Books.
All rights reserved. With the exception of short excerpts used in articles and critical reviews, no part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in any form whatsoever, printed or electronic, without the prior written permissionof the publisher.
Cover design by Caroline Kiser
Cover image: Old Key ©iStockphoto.com/earnang
ISBN: 978-1-61890-640-3
Cataloging-in-Publication data on file with the Library of Congress
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
TAN Books Charlotte, North Carolina www.TANBooks.com 2014
DEDICATION
In gratitude
to
Michael and Martha Wiltgen of Chicago
my father and mother
It is clear that the history of this Council will have to be written according to the best approved norms laid down for historians by the ancient writers. The first of these is: “Do not dare to say anything false, and at the same time do not dare to keep back the truth. Let there be nothing in what you write that arouses suspicions of favoritism or animosity” (Cicero, Or. 11, 15).
Pope Paul VI January 31, 1966
P UBLISHER ’ S N OTE
The time is right for The Inside Story of Vatican II , a new edition of the book formerly titled The Rhine Flows into the Tiber , by Rev. Ralph M. Wiltgen. Although some who wish to discredit the Council have pointed to its words in support of what they believe went wrong with Vatican II, the author had no such intention. Much like the Council itself, this book has been misinterpreted far too often. It is time to set the record straight.
The Inside Story of Vatican II is Catholic at its core, and it should be reclaimed as such. The author, Rev. Ralph M. Wiltgen, was a supporter of Vatican II and of the Holy Fathers seated in Rome in his lifetime. The imprimatur was given to the book by none other than Cardinal Terence J. Cooke, known for his enthusiastic support of the Council.
Wiltgen’s eyewitness account does provide details of the strategies, plots, divisions, rumors, secret conversations, and dramas that occurred among the Council Fathers. Nevertheless, Wiltgen believed that his book demonstrates how the Holy Spirit mysteriously worked within the Council to bring about what God desired from His Church.
This valuable inside look at the Council is solidly journalistic. Praised for its frankness and objectivity, The Inside Story of Vatican II offers an intriguing account of what happened during the Council, with minimal interpretation by the author. It is a resource like no other, allowing the reader to feel like an eyewitness himself.
We hope our readers will use this new edition to deepen their understanding of the Church and her history. As the beauty of the Council is regaining notice, and as old misunderstandings are overcome, much of the folly we have endured is fading away, and the dissenters are being exposed for their lack of faith. We trust you will discover for yourself the inside story of Vatican II, and the working of the Holy Spirit within it.
One overlooked victory of the Council was the official recognition that Mary is the Mother of the Church, Mater Ecclesiae . In becoming the Mother of the Head, she became the Mother of the whole Body of Christ. Our prayer is that the Mother of the Church will lead all souls, especially those who have fallen away, back into the true fold of her Divine Son.
— The Publisher
A UTHOR ’ S P REFACE
Reviewers have summarized The Rhine Flows into the Tiber as follows: It tells the story of Vatican II from beginning to end, reducing four years of conciliar debate to a few hundred pages and correlating it to outside meetings and actions … it describes how each of the 16 conciliar documents was painstakingly hammered out … it leaves the reader with an overwhelming impression of the tangible operation of the Holy Spirit in the Council … and it brings to light how the Council’s activity, contrary to what other books have said, was guided constantly by groups rather than by individuals.
This last point explains why my book repeatedly has been cited publicly by those who charge that the Council’s 16 documents have been vitiated, even invalidated, by pressure groups. Apparently not everyone is aware that the formation of thought groups in Vatican II was as natural a process as it is in any other legislative assembly. With 2,150 Council Fathers from all parts of the world in attendance, it was inconceivable that all should propose identical amendments for every item on the agenda. It was likewise inconceivable that each of the 2,150 Council Fathers would propose amendments completely different from everybody else’s.
The natural outcome was the formation of thought groups, and even the smallest of these had an impact on the formulation of texts about which it showed particular concern. These groups gave life and fire to the Council, and one wonders whether anything could have been accomplished at all without them. They were like so many separate committees busily engaged in formulating and amending Council texts in a way which they judged best for the overall interests of the Church. And because one group did not always accept the ideas of the other, conflict arose. Except for a few instances of papal intervention, however, harmony was eventually restored through the use of normal legislative processes.
The largest and most influential group of all was made up of Council Fathers and periti (or experts) from countries along the Rhine river—Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands—and from nearby Belgium. Because this group exerted a predominant influence over the Second Vatican Council, I have titled my book The Rhine Flows into the Tiber . The “Tiber” stands for the Vatican Council, which was held in St. Peter’s Basilica in the immediate vicinity of the Tiber. This title was suggested by correspondent George Weller after my manuscript had been completed. He took the idea from Juvenal ( A . D . 60–140), a Roman poet who said that the Orontes river of Syria had flowed into the Tiber (cf. Satire III, lines 58ff.). By this Juvenal meant that Greek influence from Antioch—the Orontes flowed through Antioch—was having an impact on Rome.
The internationally renowned theologian Father Yves Congar, O.P., discussed this thesis in 1977 in Revue des Sciences Philosophiques et Théologiques (Paris). He said: “Father Wiltgen … was remarkably well informed and his report, which shows the unfolding of the entire Council, is full of precise details…. In short, the Rhine was in reality that broad current of vigorous Catholic theology and pastoral science which had got under way in the early 1950s and, with regard to liturgical matters and biblical sources, even earlier than that.” In 1967, Cross and Crown (Chicago) had said in its review of my book: “To point to such influence is not to claim conspiracy against Rome; it is to recognize influences which readers familiar with recent theology can find in the conciliar documents.”
For writing this history I have had access to a complete set of all official correspondence, documents and working papers received by the Council Fathers from the Council’s secretariat. I had access to all correspondence and documentation sent by the Rhine group to its members as well as additional documentation from other groups and episcopal conferences, the minutes of meetings, private correspondence, etc. I also met and interviewed numberless Council Fathers and periti as director of an independent and multilingual Council news service with over 3,000 subscribers in 108 countries. Being based in Rome, I could see the entire Council unfold before my eyes. What I saw and what I heard, and the facts that I ferreted out, I now pass on to you.
Let me assure you that The Rhine Flows into the Tiber is completely different from any other history of Vatican II. I sincerely hope that you enjoy it and that it makes the Second Vatican Council come alive for you.
Rev. Dr. R. M. Wiltgen, S.V.D. December 8, 1977
C ONTENTS
Publisher’s Note
Author’s Preface
THE FIRST SESSION October 1