The Ecumenical Council, The Church and Christendom

The great hopes of Christendom engendered by the call of Pope John for an Ecumenical Council in 1962 is resulting in a number of books dealing with this timely subject of concern to all Christians. Msgr. Philip Hughes' The Church In Crisis was an early one, and Hans Kung's The Council, Reform and Reunion (supplement p. 1118) was the most recent. More can be expected. May there be at least one which will reflect an American point of view. This latest book by a prelate who is a member of the preparatory commission for the Council contributes what would appear to be at least a semi-official summation of Rome's approach to the coming event. Archbishop Jaeger points up the primacy of the Pope, and discusses its relationship to the authority of the bishops formulating policy for the Church. The recounting of the achievements of past is typically and is only mildly critical when citing the failures. The emphasis of the book in on how the Counil will opearate and achieve stated unfortunately in a language which will be of little meaning to the laity. The faithful are fortunate to have Dr. Kung’s completely honest and candid approach that might be cited as an example of how all books dealing with the Church should be written. Jaeger is likely to represent the official thinking of the Church; may all Catholics pray that his consequently dull presentation of what is an exciting event for the Christian world be be an aberration.