When Bishops Meet (An Essay Comparing Trent, Vatican I, and Vatican II) - John W. O'Malley

From one of our foremost church historians comes an overarching analysis of the three modern Catholic councils-an assessment of what Catholicism was and has become today. Catholic councils are meetings of bishops. In this unprecedented comparison of the three most recent meetings, John O'Malley traverses more than 450 years of Catholic history and examines the councils' most pressing and consistent concerns: questions of purpose, power, and relevance in a changing world. By offering new, sometimes radical, even troubling perspectives on these convocations, When Bishops Meet analyzes the evolution of the church itself.