The years just before and after World War II saw breakthroughs in theology that had major impact on Vatican II. For centuries the church had been waging a defensive battle against the abuses of the Enlightenment, the challenges of the Reform, and the rise of the secular nation-state. Theology had been reduced to defending the status quo or nurturing a form of popular piety that (...)
Short Take
Unlikely Prophets
HOW A MOTLEY CREW OF FRENCH CATHOLICS INSPIRED VATICAN II
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I was very interested to read this article, but was puzzled by the omission of a couple of names...Maurice Blondel, whose work has often been linked to the changing ideas which led to Vatican II, and also Pere Teilhard De Chardin...
However, thanks for your article...it would be interesting to be able to study further how the work of these thinkers contributed to the thought of the Church
Dave O
This article is one of the reasons I just renewed my subscription to Commonweal for another two years--despite the fact some say that I am to the right of The Wanderer in my theological thinking.
What other magazine would run an article this good but apt to be appreciated by so few? Very few pubs indeed. But as long as you run Mr. Ryan and another occasional contributor, Harold Bordwell, I'll keep renewing till I turn my toes up.
I'm going to use this article to "recruit" an agnostic friend I have not seen since 1961. I hope he sees in this microcosm of French Catholicism prior to Vatican Council II the macrocosm of the Church today and always--a diverse group of thinkers bound only by the Faith that is indeed a gift from God. Maybe it will move him to reconsider his position.
I never thought I'd use a Commonweal article to evangelize and catechize.
Many thanks.
Donal Mahoney
A branch of the same tree -- Bloy had a huge influence on English Catholicism in the first half of the century. Among those who were converted largely as a consequence of reading his books were Edith Sitwell and Alec Guinness. Graham Greene was influenced by Maritain, Bloy, and Mauriac, as, in different ways, was Evelyn Waugh.
Excellent reading based on scholarship and an understanding of the French "mystique" as it operates in the theological sense.
Thank you for printing such a fine article.
FC
And see the letter to the editors in the Jan. 29, 2010 issue by William Sublette. It induced me to come back to the article and read it online. I am glad I did.
Multum in parvo!
Paul Misner