As the year 2000 approached, Blessed John Paul II, who had himself participated in the Second Vatican Council, referred to it as ‘this great gift of the Spirit to the Church at the end of the second millennium’. Looking towards the coming millennium he asked to what extent the fruits of the Council could be seen in the Church.

This year, 2012, fifty years after the Council opened, is a good opportunity to reflect again on that question. A complete examination of all the rich teaching of the Council and how it has been implemented is beyond the scope of this book - or perhaps of any book. What is written here is one person’s reflection on five themes of the Council and their implications for today’s world.