Vatican II was a watershed moment in the history of the Catholic Church; these three books offer unique explorations of that event. More importantly, they point to why the battle over Vatican II still matters today -- for the future of the Church, for the struggle for women's rights inside and outside the Church, and for international political debates on human rights.

1. What Happened at Vatican II

John W. O'Malley contrasts Vatican II with earlier councils, by focusing on the language and tone adopted at the Council. He argues that Vatican II introduced a parallel new vocabulary in conciliar documents -- one that employed words such as reciprocity, collaboration, and partnership. This new language resulted in a council that for the first time produced no condemnations of errors or harsh judgments on theological deviations. The end result would be a changed relationship between members of the institutional church and the laity. O'Malley's discussion of tone and language and how it impacted Vatican II has implications for the current church and papacy of Pope Francis in that it shows that while change in the Church is best measured in centuries, subtle shifts in tone and language can lead to real change in the Church.

2. Guests in Their Own House: The Women of Vatican II

Often forgotten from current accounts is the role that women played in shaping the agenda of Vatican II. For the first time in Catholic history, 15 women were invited to serve as auditors and some of these women served on the commissions responsible for formulating documents. Elizabeth McEnroy details the history of these women and how they contributed to the Church adopting a new understanding of women in Church and society. This new understanding would spark women in subsequent decades to demand a more active role in the Church, including women's ordination as priests.

3. Vatican II: The Battle for Meaning

Faggioli offers an engaging history of the battle within the Church to define the meaning of Vatican II from the time of the Council until the end of the twentieth century. While the book focuses on the various theological debates, it does not present them in a vacuum, showing how and why Vatican II still matters for Catholics and non-Catholics, given the Church remains an important political actor on the global stage.