Pope John's Council

Liturgical Revolution #2

by Michael Treharne Davies

Liturgical Revolution: Vol. II

For those who have read it, it is already a classic. Few books can rival the clarity and objectivity of Pope John's Council. An incredible pattern emerges: a pastoral Council hijacked by a clique of theological liberals who consign to trash the documents of the Council Preparatory Committee (of which Archbishop Lefebvre was a member), shut off the microphones of those who attempt to defend the Faith (suffering this indignity was no less than the illustrious Cardinal Ottaviani), and co-opting the media so that their spin became "reality"?

Michael Davies spent the last year of his life updating this book. Indispensable to understanding Vatican Council II.

Genres: History, Catholic, Theology, Religion

521 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Michael Treharne Davies (1936-2004) was a convert from Anglicanism to the Catholic Church in the 1950s, and was a Catholic writer who authored various works following the Second Vatican Council, in addition to unifying Una Voce America, a conservative group. He went on to compose such works as The Liturgical Revolution, The Order of Melchisedech, Partisans of Error, For Altar and Throne,, and The Wisdom of Adrian Fortescue. Upon Davies' death in 2004, Pope Benedict XVI called him a man of deep faith who was ready to embrace suffering

Reviews

[Emily Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a basic history and introduction to Vatican II, from a traditionalist POV. It is an excellent book for someone not too familiar with the history of the council. It explains who some of the most influential people were, and what happened during the council proceedings, and some notable contentions and debates that occurred. (Much of this will be news to most people. Case in point: I took a college class on Vatican II, and never learned any of this in the class.). Especially interesting was how ecumenism affected the council so significantly, such as how progressives and protestants sought to eliminate any statements or documents about Our Lady or Sacred Tradition. Or, how much Communist pressure was at play, which is why Vatican II never even mentions Communism, even as it sought to discuss issues most relevant to "modern man" in the 60s. (I especially appreciated Davies’ brief digression about the horrible betrayals by Paul VI of Eastern European bishops living under Communism at the time, a part of history that must become more widely known.).

In keeping with the high standards of the previous book in this trilogy, Davies is a true scholar. He has researched the topic thoroughly, and cites many good sources from many different perspectives. He cites orthodox bishops, such as Lefebvre, Heenan, and Manning. He also frequently cites significant leftists' and progressives' accounts and commentary, as well as that of notable Protestant observers and leading commentators. I found it especially fascinating how often these different sources agreed about what the council was doing or would lead to, even though their opinions about whether that was good or bad were completely different.

The book also provides some basic criticism of the documents themselves. Davies' position is that there are many statements that are intentionally ambiguous, but that the documents do not themselves contain error, though they are painfully long and often laughably trite. On this topic he keeps things at the introductory level, so this part is accessible and not too long or theologically complex.

When I picked up this book, I wasn't looking forward to it too much. I figured I should read it before the third book, the on the Mass, but I wasn't too interested in Vatican II itself, which already gets more attention than it deserves. However, by a few chapters in I was fascinated by how similar that era seemed to our own under Pope Francis. I've joked before that I've felt like we are being dragged back into the seventies, but after reading this, I realize I had no idea how true that was. What happened several decades ago isn't over yet, and the mindsets and ideologies of that time seem to have a very powerful bearing on our lives right now.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a good introduction to this topic.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A calm and lucid, but critical, examination of the super council of recent unhappy memory. Davies carefully describes a number of the difficult documents, especially Sacrosanctum Concilium. We learn much of the ugly behind-the-scenes behavior of a number of the liberal Cardinals and German Bishops. The "Rhine Group" was especially manipulative and careful to ensure the triumph of the nouvelle theologie. Every Catholic should read this and be aware of how our current crisis started.

[Aaron Crofut · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's interesting reading this after reading Seewald's biography of Pope Benedict XVI, a "peritus" or expert at the Second Vatican Council. Both confirm that the bishops were merely mouthpieces to shadowy groups of supposed experts in the background. After the first session, though, even the bishops of the world began to get uncomfortable with the changes being proposed. A great deal of intentional ambiguity had to be employed to assure them nothing radical was being proposed...and those same people making those ambiguous promises then went ahead and made the radical changes after the Council was over.

No, we cannot reject Vatican II. But we can't accept it, either. Accepting or rejecting would imply we understand it enough to make such a judgement, and the texts are so intentionally amorphous as to make "understanding" probably impossible.

Let your answer be yea yea, nay nay....such was not the spirit that guided this Council. All we can do with this tree is look at its fruits, for by the fruits you shall know the tree.

[John Ray Catingub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davies continues his thorough look into the liturgical changes in Catholicism through his commentary on Pope John's Council, Vatican II. If you're familiar with the council, this book will be a refresher. (I had read de Mattei's book previously, which had expanded immensely upon what Davies had written on.) If you're unfamiliar with the scope of, machinations behind, and results of Vatican II then this book will be an eye-opener. Davies continues to weave history and commentary together in a compelling way, not hesitating to cite other credible sources to present the story completely. While seemingly pessimistic about the results of the council, it is undeniable that the damage it has done to Catholicism since the 1960s is visible in the Church today. A faithful Catholic needs to read this book to understand what was done, how it affected the Church, and how he can begin to help the restoration of the Church to her former glory.

[Stefanie Lozinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Catholic should own this trilogy. Worth the high page count - Davies is always readable and relevant.

[Dan DalMonte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book documents in great details the horrors of the second Vatican Council. It was hijacked by a group of progressive German bishops, a manipulative media, and periti, or experts. Many time bombs were introduced into the schema, and many Protestants were shocked at the amount of progress they made in rejecting Latin and challenging the doctrine of transubstantiation. Communists were also very pleased that no explicit condemnation of their evil was introduced at this terrible council. Archbishop Lefebrve warned that ecumenism meant becoming more like Protestants rather than making the Protestants Catholics, as many sincere ones want to do. Indeed, the great loss in numbers in the Catholic Church, with fewer and fewer believing in the Real Presence, is the disastrous fruit of this Council.

[Andrew Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for thinking Catholics.