Vatican II’s Golden Anniversary
On its 50th anniversary, George Weigel at First Things analyzes the origins and impact of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II. While many point to the opening of Vatican II “as the beginning of the Catholic Church’s engagement with modern society and culture,” Weigel argues that “Church’s grappling with modernity began 84 years earlier, with the election of Pope Leo XIII on March 3, 1878.”