After the Pope’s Final Farewell, First Things

First Things EcheverriaOn Thursday, October 1, after the Pope has bid America farewell, the staff and friends of First Things will enjoy a lecture and book signing with Eduardo J. Echeverria, author of Pope Francis—The Legacy of Vatican II. According to his hosts, among the questions Echeverria will raise are: What is the textual basis in Pope Francis’s pre-papal and papal writings where we discover a theological mind that is grounded in the authoritative faith of the Church? How does Pope Francis stand with respect to the legacy of Vatican II and his illustrious predecessors St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI— two great interpreters of Vatican II?

There’s little doubt that theologians and others who are intrigued by this Pope—but often annoyed at the media’s coverage of His Holiness—will find the lecture a consoling conclusion to the Pope’s U.S. visit. If you happen to be in the New York City area, join the lecture; books are available at the event, on the Internet, or on our book page.

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Pope Francis Causing a Buzz

The country is abuzz this month with the impending visit of Pope Francis. Timely to say the least, although we certainly believe it to be on the merits of the book—our latest title, Pope Francis: The Legacy of Vatican II by Eduardo Echeverria, was recently featured in two reviews.

Fr. C. John McCloskey, the Opus Dei priest better known as “the convert priest” for having helped a number of high profile people convert to Catholicism, and currently a Research Fellow of the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington, D.C. reviewed the book for The Catholic Thing, Sunday, August 16, 2015. In this article, Fr. McCluskey refers to Pope Francis as “misunderstood” by a secular media “stoked by the Internet” and constantly portraying him as somehow intending to “change the fundamental teaching of the Catholic Church.” He refers to the author, Eduardo Echeverria, as somewhat of a beacon — shedding new light on the Catholic Church and on Pope Francis himself at this particularly challenging time in history and showing that this Holy Father is truly a man of the Second Vatican Council and faithful to its teaching.

And again, as the Pope’s visit to the U.S. draws near and the whole world watches, Mgr. Dr. Gerard de Korte, Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden, from the Catholic Association for Ecumenism refers to Echeverria’s clarity on the pope’s history with Vatican II to argue that some Catholics, troubled that the pope seems to create confusion on ethical issues, may not understand this pope. His article, Pope Francis: rupture or continuity—a Review, is written in Dutch; using your browser’s translation feature this is the English version.

Pope Francis: Legacy of Vatican II

cover: Pope Francis

Pope Francis: The Legacy of Vatican II

Recently released is Professor Eduardo J. Echeverria’s study Pope Francis: The Legacy of Vatican II.

Catholics and Protestants alike tend to use Pope Francis’s pronouncements to justify the correctness of their own viewpoints on Vatican Council II and other religious and theological matters. Professor Echeverria does a thorough job of drawing from the pre-papal writings of Jorge Mario Bergoglio and the man’s current papal writings, talks, and sermons to discover and document the continuity in thought Francis has with the councils.

Echeverria compares Francis’s discourse with that of his papal predecessors in the era since Vatican II. He draws heavily on the documents of Vatican II and the theology of doctrinal development stemming from the First Vatican Council and embraced by Vatican II. Not left out is the modern ecumenical movement from both the Reformed and Catholic side.

This book draws high praise from prominent theologians whose full endorsements can be found here.

It is an ideal text for basic theology courses, courses on the modern Church for seminarians or divinity students, or courses about the influence of Vatican II. It’s a must-read for those wanting to learn about Pope Francis and the future of Christianity. A special strength of the book is the respect with which it treats the Reformed Tradition.

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