The Place Where Future Research on Vatican II Should Begin

From Peter Kwasnieski, PhD

Today, I introduce to readers one of the most potent books Os Justi Press has ever published: historian Hanael Bianchi's "A Liberal Revolution: The Implementation of Vatican II in the Archdiocese of Baltimore." In the video, I talk briefly about why this book is important, what makes it unique, and why everyone who has a serious interest in the ongoing question of Vatican II—the council, the event, the implementation, the era, and the fallout down to the present—will not want to miss the comprehensive research Bianchi distills. His choice of a single (arch)diocese enables him to drill deeply into the records and the data, so that he can tell the story in a nitty-gritty way rather than at 30,000 feet, which is typicaly what you get in other books. He finds that efforts at "reform" or "renewal" failed, again and again, as they increased a top-heavy bureaucracy, alienated and factionalized the faithful, and precipitated a crisis of identity that continues to rack the Church to this day. One can argue all day long about people's opinions, but it's hard to argue against archival evidence, statistics, and first-person testimonies. This is what makes Bianchi's book powerful and game-changing. In paperback, hardcover, or ebook from Os Justi Press: https://osjustipress.com/products/lib... Or at any Amazon site around the world, e.g., https://www.amazon.com/Liberal-Revolu...