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Onsite storage.
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The second Vatican Council, also known as Vatican II, was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church, convoked by Pope John XXIII and held from 1962-1965. It was preceded by Vatican I (1869-1870), which was the first council to be held since the closing of the Council of Trent in 1563. Deliberations at Vatican I were cut short due to the Italian army's capture of Rome in 1870, leaving many issues unaddressed. Still, many were surprised when Pope John XXIII announced on January 25, 1959 that he wished to convoke a new council, saying that he wished to open the windows of the church and let in some fresh air. The tremendous political, social, economic, and technological changes that had taken place over the previous four centuries led to new theological questions and ecclesiastical challenges, for which the bishops convened at Vatican II sought new solutions. Vatican II addressed the ecumenical issues of Christianity for the first time since the Reformation. Hundreds of representatives from Christian denominations outside the Roman Church were invited to Rome to observe their deliberations. A cornerstone decree of the council is known as the Lumen gentium, which represented a major breakthrough for Rome's relations with the Eastern Churches and with Protestant Christian groups, as it recognized a common Baptism, as well as a mutual responsibility for the Church's divisions.
Hans Küng is a Catholic, priest, theologian, and author from Switzerland who was appointed by Pope John XXIII to serve as a theological advisor to members of the Second Vatican Council. In 1971, he published a book entitled Infallible? An Inquiry, in which he rejected the doctrine of papal infallibility, decided during Vatican I. On December 18, 1979, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the papacy of John Paul II, withdrew Küng's license to teach as a Roman Catholic theologian, causing a public outcry in his defense. Though the decision was not revoked, Küng remained professor of ecumenical theology at the University of Tübingen until his retirement in 1996.
The papers are part of the William Adams Brown Ecumenical Library Archives, which was founded in 1945 by the Union Theological Seminary Board of Directors.
William Adams Brown Ecumenical Library Archives
Item description, WAB: Vatican II Ecumenical Council Records, 1962-1980, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some material cataloged by Lynn A. Grove on 1988-08-09. Metal clips and staples were removed from materials and folded items were flattened. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Acidic items were separated from one another by interleaving with acid-free paper as needed. The finding aid was created by Kristen Leigh Southworth in 2013 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2021.
WAB: Robert C. Dodds Papers, 1962 – 1974, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.
The official documents from Vatican II are held by the Holy See at the Vatican Secret Archives in Rome, Italy. Many of these documents may be viewed online in multiple languages at: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/index.htm
This collection contains two scrapbooks of New York Times clippings about Vatican II, and a collection of articles defending Catholic theologian Hans Küng.
Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.
This collection is arranged in chronological order.