The Second Vatican Council (1962-65), known also as Vatican II, was called by Pope John XXIII to renew the Roman Catholic Church in a rapidly changing world following WWII, and respond to and unite the diverse, worldwide Christian community. The Church's structures, liturgy and expressions of its teachings hadn't changed significantly since the Council of Trent in the mid 1500s, so Vatican II provided fresh directions for the Roman Catholic Church's liturgy, its understanding of itself and its relationship to other Christian and non-Christian religions and its place in the modern world.
The Decrees and Declarations: Vatican II in plain English by More books from the Library can be found via the History of Christianity reading list.
