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1. How did the Council of Trent respond to the Protestant Reformation (pp. 6–10), and how did the council’s response affect the practical faith of Catholic laypeople? 

2. What is the “throne and altar” alliance? How did this balance of power change after the Reformation and into the nineteenth century (p. 11)?

3. What were the major issues that the First Vatican Council was convened to address (pp. 12–15)? What was the council’s answer to them? 

4. How did the Catholic Church respond to modernism after Vatican I (pp. 17–20)? 

5. What is nouvelle théologie (see Did you know? and pp. 17–20)? Is this originally pejorative nickname an accurate depiction of the movement? Why or why not?

6. Describe the papal responses to rising fascist powers in Germany and Italy before World War II (p. 21). Where did these popes succeed? What could they have done better?

7. What unique and/or unexpected events took place during the Second Vatican Council (pp. 22–26)? 

 

8. Why, according to page 27, was there so much debate concerning the documents Vatican II produced? (You can refer to excerpts from some of the most important documents on page 34.)

9. Consider the ways in which popes after Vatican II applied its dogmas (pp. 30–33). Whose interpretation do you think is most in keeping with the spirit of the council? Why? 

10. In what ways did council documents such as Unitatis Redintegratio shape Catholics’ relationship with Protestants (pp. 35–37)? 

11. What did charismatic renewal look like in the Catholic Church (p. 38), and how did Vatican II influence this movement? 

12. How was the update to the Catholic catechism an outworking of Vatican II (pp. 39–41)? In what ways did the catechism change?

13. Compare the Tridentine liturgy with the New Order liturgy on pages 42 and 43. What differences do you notice? In what ways are they the same?

14. “The effect was electrifying” on page 44 gives an example of how Vatican II influenced one Protestant denomination’s liturgical practice. Has your denomination experienced change because of Vatican II? If so, how?

15. Which figure from the Gallery (pp. 45–49) do you think had the most influence on the trajectory of Vatican II and why?

16. In the interview (pp. 50–52), whose perspective on Vatican II most resonated with you? Why?

17. What do you think about the effects and consequences of the council?  CH 

By the editors

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