Vatican II

Father Hardon’s writings on Vatican II explore the teachings, reforms, and lasting significance of the Second Vatican Council. These articles examine liturgy, evangelization, Church renewal, doctrine, and the interpretation of Vatican II within authentic Catholic tradition.

The Second Vatican Council: An excerpt from The Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The twenty-first ecumenical council of the Catholic Church was first announced by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959. He opened the council on October 11, 1962, and closed the first session on December 8 of the same year. After Pope John’s death in 1963, his successor, Pope Paul […]

The Second Vatican Council

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Professor of TheologyWest Baden College (An address to a regional meeting of the Society of Catholic Teachers of Sacred Doctrine, University of Dayton, Ohio, November 28, 1959.) Taken collectively, the councils of the Church are a synthesis of Catholic teaching on faith and morals and the best evidence we […]