This edited volume is a selection of papers presented at a conference held in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) under the auspices of the Clifton Diocese in Bristol, England. The premise of the volume is to address the perception of the council, especially the wide-ranging and at times divisive interpretations of the council's intent and content. This collection focuses on representing the American and Anglo-Saxon “liberal” and “conservative” perspectives, both academic and pastoral, while praising the inclusion of South American, African, and Indian voices in the council itself. The primary target audience is Catholics, especially those unaware of Vatican II. Other targeted readers from various religious and nonreligious spectrums are mentioned (3). Muslims, however, are not listed among the intended audience.

The short introduction to the ten-chapter volume explains that the perspectives included in the collection were selected to bring together diverse views of the council, with the aim of countering the polarization between “liberal” and “conservative.” It is unclear what the editors mean when they state that the purpose of the council and the Gospels is for the readers to be called “into question by the claims of the Council” (3). This statement, in turn, raises the question: what are the claims of the council? The papers in the volume attempt to address this question with shared outlooks and at other times with widely divergent perspectives.

A shared position of the authors is that Vatican II represents theological continuity with the church's doctrines even as it introduces radical changes. Through references to historical data and key theological positions the volume establishes the relationship between the documents of the council and the long history of Catholic theological tradition in which the council is embedded. There seems to be agreement that the council was an organic evolution in which the juridical and legislative language of ecclesiastical authority was changed to “a more pastorally oriented language which was less…determinant but rather…serenely dialogical” (22). Another shared view is the notion that the paradoxes of Christian faith are not easily resolved, and that “God's justice and mercy…amounts to neither a salvation optimism nor pessimism, but a radical ‘don't knowism.’” These statements read in juxtaposition with others, such as the irreconcilability of the notion that the world religions can be salvific agencies in the biblical assessment of these religions can be confusing to general readers and people of other faiths (160).

The emphasis of the collection may be summed up in Gavin D'Costa's description of Vatican II as “a remarkable balancing act.” As an example, he states that the “positive teachings” of the council regarding other religions should be understood “within the context of fulfillment, invincible ignorance, the prevalence of sin and the necessity of universal mission” (120). To people of other religions this may be viewed as giving with one hand and taking with the other; in other words, effectively downplaying Nostra aetate.

Vatican II has been the subject of much reflection. This volume's inclusion of diverse voices makes it a good choice for undergraduate, graduate, and general readers who wish to read samples of varied positions. Yet, the various perspectives do not always speak to the same question, and the undergraduate or the general reader may find this confusing. For example, Tina Beattie's position about repairing the sacred canopy that is the maternal church seems to point to a broad vision of the church and salvation that stands in contrast to that of Ralph Martin, who calls for an end to an “unwise silence” and an adjustment and a rebalancing of the pastoral strategy of Vatican II in order to “make evangelization more successful” (137).

The volume opens with a reference to Pope Benedict XVI's call to look at the council documents afresh. One cannot help but wonder how this volume's effort to encourage dialogue on Vatican II might have developed had this project been more influenced by Pope Francis.